basement

American  

[bays-muhnt] / ˈbeɪs mənt /

noun

• basements
  plural

1. a story of a building, partly or wholly underground.

2. (in classical and Renaissance architecture) the portion of a building beneath the principal story, treated as a single compositional unit.

3. the lowermost portion of a structure.

4. the substructure of a columnar or arched construction.

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basement British  

/ ˈbeɪsmənt /

noun

1. 1. a partly or wholly underground storey of a building, esp the one immediately below the main floor Compare cellar

   2. ( as modifier )

      a basement flat

2. the foundation or substructure of a wall or building

3. geology a part of the earth's crust formed of hard igneous or metamorphic rock that lies beneath the cover of soft sedimentary rock, sediment, and soil

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• basements
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of basement

First recorded in 1720–30; base ¹ + -ment

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Explanation

A basement is a room that's below ground level, underneath the first floor. You might have a laundry room with a washer and dryer in your basement. Some basements are partially under the level of the street, while others are completely below ground. Many, though not all, houses and larger buildings have basements. Some basements are "finished," with carpeting and solid ceilings and walls, but more often they're very basic rooms used for storage. The word dates from 1730, most likely from the Italian basamento, "column base."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

basement basements

The tank in your basement is now in a bidding war with a continent.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

It’s both the opportunity of a lifetime and a descent into a pitch-black basement with nothing but the glow of her soul to light the way.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026

"There were some businesses in the basement, and workers who were busy building," said local resident Abdi Aziz, 25.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

Instead of the basement of the Stanford University psychology building, the series takes place in an actual prison, somewhere in Georgia.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

Even in the dim light of the basement, Jonah could tell that Chip had a panicky sheen of sweat on his face.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

“Black artists had only shown in libraries, church basements and other community spaces,” Hanson said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

Larger homes, attics, basements, garages and spare bedrooms reduce the urgency to make choices.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

As a result, many children stayed at home, while others spent hours in the basements of schools and kindergartens.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

In cellars and basements across the city, African-Americans hosted parties where white and black New Yorkers regularly shared the dance floor, imbibed together and sometimes got into fisticuffs that prompted the intervention of neighborhood watchmen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

They were pumping thousands of tons of seawater a day into reactors 1, 2, and 3, where it flowed around the melted cores and pooled in a radioactive mess in the buildings’ basements.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

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Related Words

• cellar
• storage
• vault

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