basin

American  

[bey-suhn] / ˈbeɪ sən /

noun

basins plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• basins
  plural

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

Explanation

A basin is a container that holds water and is used for washing, but you probably just call it your bathroom sink. You can think of basinas something shaped like a bowl. If you're going for an old-fashioned ring, say "wash basin." If you’re in England, you might use a basin for cooking. The word basin also has various geological senses, particularly a depression in the ground or ocean floor. A basin is also the spot where a river drains — like the famed Mississippi River Basin. That’s one big bowl!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

basin basins

Officials have forecast a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season this year, which runs from June 1 to November 30, because of the return of El Nino conditions that suppress hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

BlueNord has interests in asset production across the Danish Continental Shelf—an offshore basin with geological and operational similarities to the Norwegian Continental Shelf and Var Energi’s existing North Sea assets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

As Ma performed in the park, Gonzalez stood in the river basin, spray-painting in neon-pink blockbuster letters the name of his organization, East Side of the River, onto pillars under Slauson Avenue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

"The 2,000-foot-long basin was drained" and "a tinted polyurea liner" was installed in the pool to "waterproof and protect the concrete pool surface", the NPS outlined in its statement.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

I shall be directly above the silver basin.

From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl

The absence of sediment across that roughly 2,000-year period indicates that water no longer covered parts of the lake basins.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

While it is a big transition for workers used to navigating the depths of coal basins, instructor Michal Rak says the miners have valuable advantages.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

But when the salt company shuttered in 2013, the pumping that maintained the basins stopped, endangering the environment the birds have come to rely on.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Elsewhere, lower water volumes in the Missouri and Mississippi River basins threaten to disrupt coal shipments by barge, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report warned.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Against the opposite wall was a long bench laden with wide earthenware basins, and beside it stood brown ewers filled with water, some cold, some steaming hot.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Related Words

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