Definition of "basin" []

• An open, shallow, usually round container used especially for holding liquids. (noun)
• The amount that such a vessel can hold. (noun)
• A washbowl; a sink. (noun)
• An artificially enclosed area of a river or harbor designed so that the water level remains unaffected by tidal changes. (noun)
• A small enclosed or partly enclosed body of water. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "You're heading out for a walk along the Potomac, maybe up on the title basin (ph), it's going to be a nice morning for you."
• "Close to where the boat landed, they were hauling a large frigate out of what they called the basin; and I was so interested with the sight, that I am sorry to say I quite forgot all about the boat's crew, and my orders to look after them."
• "Close to where the boat landed, they were hauling a large frigate out of what they called the basin; and I was so interested with the sight, that I am sorry to say, I quite forgot all about the boat's crew, and my orders to look after them."