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basement

basements

A basement is a room that's below ground level, underneath the first floor. You might have a laundry room with a washer and dryer in your basement.

Some basements are partially under the level of the street, while others are completely below ground. Many, though not all, houses and larger buildings have basements. Some basements are "finished," with carpeting and solid ceilings and walls, but more often they're very basic rooms used for storage. The word dates from 1730, most likely from the Italian basamento, "column base."

Definitions of basement
  1. noun
    the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
    synonyms: cellar
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    types:
    cellarage
    a storage area in a cellar
    type of:
    floor, level, storey, story
    a structure consisting of a room or set of rooms at a single position along a vertical scale
  2. noun
    the ground floor facade or interior in Renaissance architecture
    see moresee less
    type of:
    support
    supporting structure that holds up or provides a foundation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘basement'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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