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  • Basho
    Basho
    noun
    Basho Matsuo, 1644?–94, Japanese poet.
  • basho
    basho
    noun
    a grand tournament in sumo wrestling

Basho

American  
[bah-shaw] / bɑˈʃɔ /

noun

  1. Basho Matsuo, 1644?–94, Japanese poet.


Basho 1 British  
/ bɑːˈʃɔː /

noun

  1. full name Matsuo Basho , originally Matsuo Munefusa . 1644–94, Japanese poet and travel writer, noted esp for his haiku

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

basho 2 British  
/ ˈbæʃəʊ /

noun

  1. a grand tournament in sumo wrestling

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of basho

C20: from Japanese

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Matsuo Basho was born in the mid-17th century and spent his life as a wandering poet.

From New York Times Jan. 4, 2023

She’s closer to Basho, who incorporated Eastern influences into his raga-like playing, or even to the proto-New Age guitarist Ralph Towner, whose playing has the crystalline tone of a classical piano.

From Washington Post Jan. 21, 2021

Kyushu Basho in Fukuoka from Nov. 8-22 moved to Tokyo.

From Washington Times Oct. 12, 2020

The downtown L.A. museum this week unveiled a new mural by Katie Yamasaki that includes a haiku by Basho, a poet of the Edo era.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 4, 2014

The Joei Shikimoku is not a voluminous document: it contains only fifty-one brief articles, which the poet Basho compares to the luminosity of the full moon.

From A History of the Japanese People From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era by Brinkley, F. (Frank)

It didn't stop them falling head over heels, however, and they have watched every basho this year.

From BBC Oct. 17, 2025

Then she discovered the bi-monthly, 15 day championships, known as basho, and from there, she was hooked.

From BBC Oct. 17, 2025

Aside from golf, Mr Trump will attend the final day of the sumo "basho" or tournament and meet Japan's new emperor, Naruhito.

From BBC May 26, 2019

The spring basho runs for two weeks, and there have already been some upsets.

From New York Times May 24, 2019

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