basin
Americannoun
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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.
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any container of similar shape, as the pan of a balance.
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the quantity held by such a container.
We need another basin of water to dilute the mixture.
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a natural or artificial hollow place containing water.
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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.
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Geology. an area in which the strata dip from the margins toward a common center.
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Physical Geography.
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a hollow or depression in the earth's surface, wholly or partly surrounded by higher land.
river basin.
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Botany. the depression in an apple, pear, or other pome at the end opposite the stem.
noun
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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
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Also called: basinful. the amount a basin will hold
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a washbasin or sink
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any partially enclosed or sheltered area where vessels may be moored or docked
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the catchment area of a particular river and its tributaries or of a lake or sea
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a depression in the earth's surface
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geology a part of the earth's surface consisting of rock strata that slope down to a common centre
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A region drained by a river and its tributaries.
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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.
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An artificially enclosed area of a river or harbor designed so that the water level remains unaffected by tidal changes.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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!
Vocabulary lists containing basin
"Of Mice and Men"
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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The United States
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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
He points to the potential for APA to expand its footprint in Australia’s Beetaloo basin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Much of that material eventually fell back and accumulated within the basin.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026
He imagined it flying on until it spied a narrow green valley, a scooped-out basin with a creek looping and winding its way through the center.
From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech
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
Together, these basins form a continent-scale fan-shaped pattern that researchers have named the East Antarctic Fan-shaped Basin Province.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2026
The spaces between the fingers resemble the triangular basins created as the crust extends.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2026
Within the guidance, it was recommended that gender neutral toilets or changing rooms should have self-contained lockable areas with floor-to-ceiling walls and wash basins.
From BBC ● May 21, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
