catch basin

American  

noun

1. a receptacle, located where a street gutter opens into a sewer, designed to retain matter that would not readily pass through the sewer.

---

catch basin British  

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): catch pit. a pit in a drainage system in which matter that might otherwise block a sewer is collected so that it may periodically be removed

---

Etymology

Origin of catch basin

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catch basin

"For these reasons, members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole, or outfall," the city's Department of Environmental Protection previously told the BBC.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

Each of the riders covers upward of 30 miles a day to treat every catch basin in the city’s urban and suburban areas, about 75,000 total, over the course of a month.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

He thanked members of the California National Guard for clearing debris out of a catch basin that was constructed after the mudslide in order to divert rain.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2023

“Florida from its beginnings has served as a catch basin for the world’s detritus,” writes Russell Banks in his 14thnovel, “The Magic Kingdom.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2022

At the spring she paused in the act of filling her pail and stared at a mark in the mud at the edge of the tiny rill formed by the overflow from the catch basin.

From The Gold Girl by James B. (James Beardsley) Hendryx