basin

American  

[bey-suhn] / ˈbeɪ sən /

noun

1. a circular container with a greater width than depth, becoming smaller toward the bottom, used chiefly to hold water or other liquid, especially for washing.

2. any container of similar shape, as the pan of a balance.

3. the quantity held by such a container.

   We need another basin of water to dilute the mixture.

4. a natural or artificial hollow place containing water.

5. a partially enclosed, sheltered area along a shore, often partly man-made or dredged to a greater depth, where boats may be moored.

   a yacht basin.

6. Geology. an area in which the strata dip from the margins toward a common center.

7. Physical Geography.

   1. a hollow or depression in the earth's surface, wholly or partly surrounded by higher land.

      river basin.

   2. drainage basin.

8. Botany. the depression in an apple, pear, or other pome at the end opposite the stem.

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basin British  

/ ˈbeɪsən /

noun

1. a round container open and wide at the top with sides sloping inwards towards the bottom or base, esp one in which liquids are mixed or stored

2. Also called: basinful.  the amount a basin will hold

3. a washbasin or sink

4. any partially enclosed or sheltered area where vessels may be moored or docked

5. the catchment area of a particular river and its tributaries or of a lake or sea

6. a depression in the earth's surface

7. geology a part of the earth's surface consisting of rock strata that slope down to a common centre

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basin Scientific  

/ bā′sĭn /

1. A region drained by a river and its tributaries.

2. A low-lying area on the Earth's surface in which thick layers of sediment have accumulated. Some basins are bowl-shaped while others are elongate. Basins form through tectonic processes, especially in fault-bordered intermontane areas or in areas where the Earth's crust has warped downwards. They are often a source of valuable oil.

3. An artificially enclosed area of a river or harbor designed so that the water level remains unaffected by tidal changes.

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Other Word Forms

• basinal adjective
• basined adjective
• basinlike adjective
• interbasin adjective
• subbasin noun

Etymology

Origin of basin

1175–1225; Middle English bacin < Old French < Late Latin bac ( c ) īnum ( bacc ( a ) water vessel, back ³ + -īnum -ine ¹ ); perhaps further related in Latin to beaker

Example Sentences

One image stood out: the Orientale basin, a 600-mile crater near the Moon's far side, seen in full by human eyes for the first time.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

The basin gathers into shallow wetlands where movement returns to the landscape.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Koch, speaking to Canadian children live from space, said the crew was most excited to see the basin -- sometimes known as the Moon's "Grand Canyon."

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

Even Apollo astronauts didn't see the Orientale basin completely because of their orbit and illumination conditions.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

She swept three dead flies from the sill into the basin.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Related Words

• bowl
• lagoon
• pan
• pool
• pot
• tub
• valley
• watershed