Great Basin

American  

noun

1. a region in the Western U.S. that has no drainage to the ocean: includes most of Nevada and parts of Utah, California, Oregon, and Idaho. 210,000 sq. mi. (544,000 sq. km).

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Great Basin British  

noun

1. a semiarid region of the western US, between the Wasatch and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, having no drainage to the ocean: includes Nevada, W Utah, and parts of E California, S Oregon, and Idaho. Area: about 490 000 sq km (189 000 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

The lake, which is about two and a half times saltier than the ocean, is located at the base of the Eastern Sierra, where the mountains meet the Great Basin Desert.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2025

The report was sponsored by the DWP and the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, which regulates air pollution in an area of about 32,000 people.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2025

They occur when a large area of high pressure becomes established over the interior of western US, centred around the Great Basin, which includes much of Nevada and parts of Utah, Idaho and south-east Oregon.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2025

"It makes available to solar areas that are ecologically sensitive, areas that include sensitive species. It stands to significantly impact and alter ecosystems across the Great Basin and Mojave Desert."

From Salon • Sep. 19, 2024

I don’t even know where the Great Basin is.

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin