basin
B1Neutral to formal. Common in everyday, geographical, and technical contexts.
Definition
Meaning
A round, open container, typically used for holding liquids or for washing.
A broad, natural or artificial depression in the ground, often containing water; the area drained by a river and its tributaries; in geology, a large-scale depression in the Earth's crust.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The core meaning relates to a man-made container. The extended geographical meanings (river basin, geological basin) are common in academic and scientific registers.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In everyday use, both use 'basin' for the container and geographical feature. 'Sink' is more common in American English for the kitchen/fixed washbasin. In British English, 'basin' can specifically refer to a bowl for washing, and 'washbasin' is common for the fixed fixture.
Connotations
In British English, 'basin' for a washbowl can sound slightly old-fashioned or regional. 'River basin' is the standard technical term in both.
Frequency
Higher frequency in British English for domestic washing containers. Roughly equal frequency for geographical/technical terms.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
the [River X] basina basin of [water/soup]the [geological/Amazon] basinwash in the basinVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Pudding basin haircut (UK: a blunt, bowl-shaped cut)”
- “The basin of attraction (mathematics/physics)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in contexts like 'water basin management' or 'resource extraction in sedimentary basins'.
Academic
Common in geography, geology, hydrology, and environmental science.
Everyday
Common for the container (e.g., mixing bowl, washbasin).
Technical
Precise terms like 'drainage basin', 'structural basin', 'impact basin'.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- She filled the pudding basin with cake mix.
- Conservation in the Thames Basin is a priority.
- He washed his face in the ceramic basin.
American English
- The Mississippi River basin covers a vast area.
- Geologists studied the oil-rich sedimentary basin.
- She placed the basin in the sink to thaw the turkey.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Please pass me the basin of fruit.
- We need a basin to wash these vegetables.
- The Amazon basin is the largest rainforest in the world.
- She poured the pasta into a colander in the sink basin.
- The tectonic activity created a deep basin now filled with sediment.
- Water policy must consider the entire river basin as a single system.
- The artist used a large, shallow basin as a palette for mixing pigments.
- Paleoclimatic data is often extracted from core samples taken from lake basins.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a BASE for holding things (like water or rock layers) - it's a BASIN.
Conceptual Metaphor
A CONTAINER FOR COLLECTING (both water in a bowl and rivers in a landscape).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- False friend with 'бассейн' (basseyn), which primarily means 'swimming pool' in Russian, though it can also mean 'basin' in a geographical sense. The domestic 'basin' is more often 'таз' (taz) or 'миска' (miska).
Common Mistakes
- Confusing 'basin' with 'bassin' (French). Using 'basin' for a swimming pool (common error from French/Russian). Misspelling as 'bason'.
- Using 'plate' or 'tray' instead of 'basin' for a deep, rounded container.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'basin' LEAST likely to be used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In American English, a 'sink' is the fixed fixture. A 'basin' is often a separate, portable bowl. In British English, 'basin' can refer to the fixed washbasin, though 'sink' is also used, especially in the kitchen.
They are closely related. A 'river basin' or 'drainage basin' is the entire area of land drained by a river. A 'watershed' is often the boundary *between* two drainage basins or, in North American usage, can be synonymous with 'drainage basin'.
No, 'basin' is not used as a standard verb in modern English. The related geological process is 'basin formation' or 'subsidence'.
A deep, round bowl traditionally used in British cooking for steaming or baking puddings, like Christmas pudding or sponge pudding.