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

During a storm in November, multiple people were swept out from the West Cucamonga Channel, which flows into a nearby catch basin.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2023

Just 40 feet long, it had been dug between the church and a hole cut in the side of an underground drainage pipe connecting a nearby rainwater catch basin to the Grand tunnel.

From BusinessWeek • Aug. 2, 2012

The pool was actually a catch basin in the rock.

From The Blue Ghost Mystery by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)