basin
gb/bˈeɪsən/ us/bˈeɪsən/
A2
English
~ 6000
mosdókagyló, lavór, tál, vízgyűjtő terület, vízgyűjtő medence, medence, üledékes medence
NOUN
A2
1
mosdókagyló
A2
Usage pattern:
wash [something] in the basin
She splashed cold water on her face in the bathroom basin.
A fürdőszobai mosdókagylónál hideg vizet fröcskölt az arcára.
The basin was cracked, so the landlord had it replaced.
A mosdókagyló megrepedt, ezért a bérbeadó kicseréltette.
Please make sure you clean the basin after you brush your teeth.
He washed the cut under the tap in the basin.
There was a bar of soap lying next to the basin.
Learner examples
He washes his hands in the basin.
A mosdókagylónál mossa meg a kezét.
The basin in our bathroom is very small.
A fürdőszobánkban nagyon kicsi a mosdókagyló.
Please do not leave hair in the basin.
I put my toothbrush next to the basin.
She turned on the tap and filled the basin.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'basin' for every kind of sink in English, but in many varieties of English (especially American), 'sink' is the usual word, and 'basin' is less common outside bathrooms or more formal descriptions.
Meaning
fixed bathroom bowl for washing
Collocations
bathroom basin
|wash basin
|hand basin
|basin taps
|basin plug
Synonyms
sink (More common in American English and for both kitchen and bathroom; 'basin' is especially common in British English and usually refers to the bathroom fixture.)
Themes
daily life
|home
|hygiene
|daily_life
|housing
Definition
A bowl in the bathroom that is fixed to the wall or floor and used to wash your hands or face.
A fixed, bowl-shaped sink in a bathroom where people wash their hands or face.
NOUN
B1
2
Usage pattern:
a basin of [liquid/food]
She filled a basin of warm water to wash the baby.
Megtöltött egy lavórt langyos vízzel, hogy megmosdassa a babát.
Pour the flour and sugar into a large mixing basin.
Öntsd a lisztet és a cukrot egy nagy keverőtálba.
He carried a basin of soapy water out to clean the car.
The nurse placed the metal basin under the patient's chin.
Rainwater collected in the stone basin by the door.
Learner examples
She put hot water in a basin.
Forró vizet öntött egy lavórba.
He washed the vegetables in a large basin.
Egy nagy tálban mosta meg a zöldségeket.
Please bring me a basin for the dirty plates.
The salad is in that big white basin.
The doctor gave him a small basin in case he felt sick.
Common mistake:
Learners may think 'basin' and 'bowl' are always interchangeable. In everyday modern English, 'bowl' is more common for food, while 'basin' is more common for washing or for specific types of large bowls in recipes or formal descriptions.
Meaning
large bowl-shaped container
Collocations
a basin of water
|mixing basin
|salad basin
|pudding basin
|shallow basin
Synonyms
bowl (More general and common; 'basin' often suggests something larger or used specifically for washing or mixing.)
Themes
home
|cooking
|daily life
|daily_life
|food_drink
Definition
A big, round bowl used to hold water, food, or other things, or to wash things in.
A large, usually round, open container with sloping sides, used for holding liquids or food, or for washing small objects.
NOUN
B2
3
Usage pattern:
the [name] basin
Deforestation in the Amazon Basin is a major global concern.
Az Amazonas-medencében zajló erdőirtás komoly globális aggodalomra ad okot.
Most of the country lies within the Nile basin.
Az ország nagy része a Nílus vízgyűjtő területén fekszik.
Flooding is common in the river basin after heavy rains.
The government launched a project to protect the entire drainage basin.
They studied how climate change affects water flow in the basin.
Learner examples
The Amazon Basin is very large.
Az Amazonas-medence nagyon nagy.
Many people live in the Nile basin.
Sokan élnek a Nílus-medencében.
A river basin is the land around a river.
This city is in the same basin as that town.
Farms in the basin use water from the river.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'river basin' with 'river bank'. A river basin is the whole land area that sends water to the river, not just the edge of the river.
Meaning
land drained by a river
Collocations
river basin
|drainage basin
|the Amazon Basin
|the Nile basin
|basin management
Synonyms
drainage basin (A more technical term; often used in geography and environmental science with the same meaning.)
Antonyms
watershed divide (A watershed divide is the high ground that separates two basins, so it contrasts with the low-lying area that collects water.)
Themes
geography
|environment
|science
|nature
Definition
A large area of land where all the rain and rivers go into one big river.
A region of land where all the water flows into the same main river and its smaller connected rivers.
NOUN
B2
TECHNICAL
4
medence
B2
Usage pattern:
the [type] basin
The Pacific Ocean basin covers nearly one-third of Earth's surface.
A Csendes-óceán medencéje a Föld felszínének csaknem egyharmadát foglalja el.
Sediments slowly accumulated on the floor of the ancient lake basin.
Az üledékek lassan felhalmozódtak az ősi tómedence alján.
Scientists mapped a deep basin under the polar ice.
The city lies in a small inland basin surrounded by mountains.
Marine life varies greatly between the continental shelf and the central ocean basin.
Learner examples
The Pacific Ocean is in a huge basin.
A Csendes-óceán egy hatalmas medencében helyezkedik el.
A lake often sits in a natural basin.
Egy tó gyakran természetes medencében fekszik.
The town is in a small basin between hills.
There is a deep basin under the sea.
Water stayed in the basin in the ground.
Common mistake:
Learners may mix this meaning with the everyday 'bowl' meaning. In geography, 'basin' refers to a natural low area of land, not a man-made container.
Meaning
large natural hollow for water
Collocations
ocean basin
|lake basin
|basin floor
|deep basin
|tectonic basin
Synonyms
depression (A more general geography term for a low area; it does not always imply holding water, whereas 'basin' often does.)
Antonyms
ridge (A ridge is a long raised area of land, the opposite of a hollow or basin.)
Themes
geography
|science
|nature
Definition
A big low area in the ground where water can sit or where a lake, sea, or ocean lies.
A large natural depression in the earth's surface, often containing a lake, sea, or ocean, or forming the bed of one.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
5
Usage pattern:
sedimentary basin of [region]
The region's oil reserves are trapped in a large sedimentary basin.
A térség olajkészletei egy nagy üledékes medencében csapdázódtak.
Geologists mapped the structure of the rift basin using seismic data.
A geológusok szeizmikus adatok alapján feltérképezték a riftes medence szerkezetét.
Coal seams in the basin formed over millions of years.
The foreland basin developed in front of the rising mountain belt.
Exploration companies are competing for licenses in the offshore basin.
Learner examples
Geologists studied the rocks in the basin.
A geológusok tanulmányozták az üledékes medence kőzeteit.
Many oil fields are in this large basin.
Sok olajmező található ebben a nagy üledékes medencében.
The basin slowly sank and filled with sand and mud.
They made a map of the underground basin.
Coal formed in the old basin over time.
Meaning
geological sedimentary basin
Collocations
sedimentary basin
|oil basin
|rift basin
|foreland basin
|intracratonic basin
Synonyms
sedimentary basin (A more explicit technical term specifying that the basin is filled with sedimentary rocks.)
Antonyms
uplift (An uplift is a region where the crust has been raised, the opposite vertical movement of a subsiding basin.)
Themes
science
|geology
|energy
|nature
Definition
In geology, a big low part of the earth where many layers of rock and sometimes oil or gas have built up over time.
In geology, a large area of the earth's crust that has sunk down and collected thick layers of sedimentary rocks, often associated with oil, gas, or coal deposits.
Grammar
Dictionary form
basin
IPA
GB/bˈeɪsən/
US/bˈeɪsən/
Syllables & stress
basin (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (basin)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: basin
- Plural: basins
Word family
Forms
basins
noun
Related words
washbasin
noun
Expressions
drainage basin
1/dɹˈeɪnɪd͡ʒ bˈeɪsən/
fixed phrase
technical
hydrological catchment area
An area of land where all the rain and small streams go to the same river, lake, or sea.
Examples
- The drainage basin covers 50,000 square kilometers.
- Land use change in the drainage basin has increased the risk of flooding.
hand basin
1/hˈænd bˈeɪsən/
fixed phrase
bathroom basin for hands
A small bathroom basin where you wash your hands.
Examples
- There is a hand basin just outside the toilet.
- The hand basin was too low for tall adults.
lake basin
1/lˈeɪk bˈeɪsən/
fixed phrase
technical
natural hollow containing a lake
A low area in the ground where a lake is now, or was in the past.
Examples
- Fertile soils filled the old lake basin.
- The town is built around a small lake basin in the valley.
mixing basin
1/mˈɪksɪŋ bˈeɪsən/
fixed phrase
large bowl for mixing food
A big bowl that you use to mix food when you cook or bake.
Examples
- Put the flour and eggs into a mixing basin.
- Use a large mixing basin so the dough has room to rise.
ocean basin
1/ˈoʊʃən bˈeɪsən/
fixed phrase
technical
large hollow holding an ocean
A huge low area at the bottom of the sea where an ocean sits.
Examples
- Scientists studied the shape of the ocean basin using sonar.
- The Atlantic ocean basin is widening slowly each year.
river basin
1/ɹˈɪvɚ bˈeɪsən/
fixed phrase
land drained by a river
A large area of land where all the rivers and rainwater flow into one main river.
Examples
- Many species in the river basin are threatened by pollution.
- The project aims to improve water quality across the entire river basin.
the Amazon Basin
1/ðə ˈæməzˌɑn bˈeɪsən/
fixed phrase
Amazon River drainage area
The very large area of land in South America where all the rivers and rainwater flow into the Amazon River.
Examples
- Millions of people live in the Amazon Basin.
- Forest fires in the Amazon Basin affect the global climate.
the Mediterranean basin
1/ðə mˌɛdɪtɚˈeɪniən bˈeɪsən/
fixed phrase
region around Mediterranean Sea
The countries and land around the Mediterranean Sea that have a similar climate and plants.
Examples
- Olive trees grow widely in the Mediterranean basin.
- Many cultures in the Mediterranean basin share similar diets.
the Nile basin
1/ðə nˈaɪl bˈeɪsən/
fixed phrase
Nile River drainage area
The area of land in Africa where all the water flows into the Nile River.
Examples
- Water use in the Nile basin is a political issue.
- Several countries share the resources of the Nile basin.
wash basin
1/wˈɔʃ bˈeɪsən/
fixed phrase
basin used for washing
A bowl or sink where you wash your hands, face, or body.
Examples
- There was a small wash basin in the corner of the room.
- Please do not leave the towel in the wash basin.