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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of catch basin

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

"For these reasons, members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole, or outfall."

From BBC • Jun. 2, 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

For nearly two decades, Carroll Academy, a one-hallway school set in the one-story wing of a former hospital, has been a catch basin for teenagers slipping through society’s cracks.

From New York Times • Jul. 25, 2013

Now the other four lasers were on the line and in rapid order, a dozen more holes were on punched down through the bed and into the catch basin.

From The Thirst Quenchers by Raphael, Rick