basin

basin — noun

1. a wide container with curved sides, used for water, food, or mixing.

1.nounB1
Definition

a wide container with curved sides, used for water, food, or mixing.

Example

Rosa set a blue basin under the leaky pipe.

put a basin under something leaking

The baker mixed flour and eggs in a large metal basin.

mix something in a basin

Common collocations
  • plastic basin
  • metal basin
  • basin full of water
  • mix in a basin
Synonyms
  • bowl

    broader everyday word, especially for eating or serving food

  • tub

    usually larger and deeper

  • washbowl

    more specific and less common

Grammar Patterns

fill a basin with something

wash something in a basin

mix something in a basin

Usage Note

Often used for a portable container in a kitchen, garden, or utility room. Distinguish from sense 2, which is the fixed bathroom fixture.

2. in British English, the fixed bowl under the taps in a bathroom.

2.nounB1
Definition

in British English, the fixed bowl under the taps in a bathroom.

Example

Ella splashed cold water on her face at the basin.

wash at the basin

The child left toothpaste around the white basin again.

Common collocations
  • bathroom basin
  • basin tap
  • stand at the basin
  • wash at the basin
Synonyms
  • washbasin

    full form, especially in British English

  • sink

    more usual in North American English

  • washbowl

    less common, especially in North American English

Grammar Patterns

wash at the basin

stand at the basin

basin tap

Usage Note

Mainly British. In North American English, sink is more usual for this bathroom fixture.

Common Mistakes

The hotel room had two basins in the kitchen.
The hotel room had two sinks in the kitchen.
basin in this sense is mainly British and usually refers to the bathroom fixture.

3. all the land where rain and streams drain to one main body of water.

3.nounC1
Definition

all the land where rain and streams drain to one main body of water.

Example

Heavy rain in the Yangtze Basin flooded towns far downstream.

capitalized in place names

Forest loss across the river basin changed the water level.

river basin collocation

Common collocations
  • river basin
  • drainage basin
  • upper basin
  • Amazon Basin
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

river basin

the Amazon Basin

upper basin

Usage Note

Often follows the name of a river and may be capitalized in geographical names. It refers to the whole drainage region, not only the river channel.

Common Mistakes

The Amazon Basin is just the Amazon River.
The Amazon Basin includes the land that drains into the Amazon.
basin here means the whole drainage area, not only the main river.

4. as much as fills one basin.

4.nounB2
Definition

as much as fills one basin.

Example

The cook poured a basin of soup into small paper cups.

a basin of + food or liquid

We used half a basin of water to clean the paintbrushes.

half a basin of + noun

Common collocations
  • a basin of soup
  • half a basin of water
  • a full basin of water
Synonyms
  • bowlful

    more common in everyday English

  • portion

    broader and not tied to a particular container

  • serving

    used mainly for food

Grammar Patterns

a basin of something

half a basin of something

a full basin of something

Usage Note

Used as a measure word, not for the container itself. It usually appears with of after a number or quantity word.

Common Mistakes

Put one basin on the table for everyone to eat.
Put one basin of rice on the table for everyone to eat.
this sense means the amount inside the basin, not the container.

5. a protected part of a harbor with calm water for mooring boats.

5.nounC2
Definition

a protected part of a harbor with calm water for mooring boats.

Example

Small fishing boats were tied up in the inner basin.

inner basin collocation

The harbor master moved our yacht to a quieter basin.

move a yacht to a basin

Common collocations
  • inner basin
  • harbor basin
  • quiet basin
  • basin full of boats
Synonyms
  • harbor

    broader word for the whole protected place for ships

  • marina

    mainly for pleasure boats and yacht services

  • dock

    often man-made and more focused on loading, repair, or enclosure

Grammar Patterns

inner basin

harbor basin

basin for boats

Usage Note

Usually refers to a protected section of a port or marina rather than the open sea.

6. a broad part of the land that lies lower than the ground around it.

6.nounC2
Definition

a broad part of the land that lies lower than the ground around it.

Example

A broad basin lies between the two mountain ranges.

basin between mountain ranges

The village sits in a dry basin below the hills.

Common collocations
  • mountain basin
  • ocean basin
  • dry basin
  • broad basin
Synonyms
  • depression

    more technical and often used in geography

  • hollow

    usually smaller and more everyday

  • valley

    often narrower and more strongly linked to a river between slopes

Antonyms
  • ridge

    raised land rather than low land

Grammar Patterns

mountain basin

ocean basin

a basin between ranges

Usage Note

Common in geography and earth science for a broad low area. It is usually larger and flatter than an ordinary valley.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For sense 1, basin usually suggests a wide container used for water, washing, or mixing, often bigger and more practical than something you eat from. Bowl is the general everyday word and is much more common for food on the table, such as a soup bowl or rice bowl. Tub usually points to a larger, deeper container for washing clothes, soaking things, or carrying water. Dish is flatter and is mainly about serving food, not washing or mixing. In British English, basin can sound more natural than bowl for household tasks. You might mix cake batter in a basin, eat noodles from a bowl, and leave dirty socks to soak in a tub.

basin ↗bowl ↗tub ↗dish ↗

Etymology

Medieval LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Basin came into English in the Middle English period from Old French bacin, which came from medieval Latin bacinus, a word for a water vessel. Its earliest meaning in English was the physical bowl or washing container. Later, English extended the word to land or water areas with a bowl-like shape, which is why it can also mean a river basin, a harbor basin, or a low region of the earth.