basement — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A floor of a building below ground level.

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.

2. A mass of igneous or metamorphic rock forming the foundation over which a platform of sedimentary rocks is laid.

3. Last place in a sports conference's standings.

   Usage

   • Informal

Noun

1. the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage

   Synonyms

   cellar

   Broader terms

   floorlevelstoreystory

2. the ground floor facade or interior in Renaissance architecture

   Broader terms

   support