Meaning & use
a wash basin
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A fixed bowl, usually in a bathroom, with taps and a drain, used for washing your hands and face.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a wash basin', 'two wash basins', etc.
Patterns
- a wash basin in the bathroom
- wash your hands in a wash basin
The bathroom has a wash basin, a toilet, and a shower.
She left her toothbrush next to the wash basin.
He filled the wash basin with warm water to wash his face.
Word forms
| plural | wash basins |
|---|
Common combinations
- a wash basin with a mirror
- The hotel room had a wash basin with a mirror above it.
- a ceramic wash basin
- They installed a white ceramic wash basin in the new bathroom.
- clean the wash basin
- Please clean the wash basin after you use it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sink
- More common in American English and also used in kitchens; 'wash basin' is more specific to a bathroom in British English.
- basin
- Shorter and often used in British English; it can also mean a bowl or a large area of land drained by a river.
- handbasin
- A small wash basin, often used in British English for a basin just for washing hands.
Word family
- washbasin noun
- One-word spelling of the same thing, common in British English.
Commonly confused: a wash basin or washbowl?
a wash basin vs washbowl
A washbowl is a movable bowl for washing, not fixed to the wall or floor like a wash basin.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'wash basin' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A wash basin is a fixed bowl in a bathroom for washing your hands and face. Option 1 is wrong because a kitchen sink is used for dishes; option 2 is wrong because a wash basin is not for clothes; option 3 is wrong because you don't sit on it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a wash basin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.