Meaning & use
sub-basement
Last updated
UK/ˈsʌb ˌbeɪsmənt/
US/ˈsʌb ˌbeɪsmənt/
Meaning
nouncountable
A floor of a building located underneath the main basement.
Grammar: You can count them: a sub-basement, two sub-basements.
Patterns
- in the sub-basement
- down in the sub-basement
The old boilers were kept in the sub-basement.
The museum stores its oldest records in the sub-basement.
We took the stairs down to the sub-basement.
Word forms
| plural | sub-basements |
|---|
Common combinations
- lower sub-basement
- The lower sub-basement contains the generators.
- in the sub-basement
- The archive is in the sub-basement.
- deep sub-basement
- A deep sub-basement protects the data center from storms.
- sub-basement level
- Parking is on the sub-basement level.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lower basement
- Lower basement is more descriptive, whereas sub-basement is the common compound.
- cellar
- Cellar is usually a single underground storage space, while a sub-basement lies below a basement.
- vault
- A vault is a secure underground room, not necessarily a whole floor.
Opposites
Word family
- basement noun
- a floor partly or fully below ground
- sub prefix
- under or below
- subterranean adjective
- existing under the ground
Commonly confused: sub-basement or subway?
sub-basement vs subway
Subway means an underground railway or walkway, not a floor in a building.
Practice
The building had a basement for storage and a ___ below it for the heating system.
Choose one answer.
A sub-basement lies below the basement. A mezzanine and a balcony are above ground, and an attic is at the top.
Make it your own
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