basting
1 Americannoun
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sewing with long, loose stitches to hold material in place until the final sewing.
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bastings, the stitches taken or the threads used.
noun
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the act of moistening food while cooking, especially with stock or pan juices.
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the liquid used in basting.
noun
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loose temporary stitches; tacking
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sewing with such stitches
Etymology
Origin of basting1
First recorded in 1515–25; baste 1 + -ing 1
Origin of basting2
Vocabulary lists containing basting
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.
In August 2023, the state blamed another botched satellite launch on an error in the emergency basting system, but said it was "not a big issue".
From BBC ● May 21, 2025
My method was always bringing the steak to room temperature, salting it heavily, then cooking it in a cast-iron pan that was scorchingly hot before basting with butter, garlic thyme and rosemary.
From Salon ● Feb. 21, 2024
We layer on the flavors - first as a quick marinade for the chicken, then as a basting sauce, and finally as a finishing sauce.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 11, 2023
The “hot” basting sauce, for instance, is thinner and meaner than the salty counterpart on the table.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 1, 2022
The next few hours are spent doing tasks no one else wants to do—snipping stitches, basting, sweeping up, collecting pins and putting them in pincushions.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
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.
