"bargain basement" meaning in English

See bargain basement in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: en-au-bargain basement.ogg [Australia] Forms: bargain basements [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} bargain basement (plural bargain basements)
  1. An area within a retail store, especially an area located below ground level, where the least costly merchandise can be found.
    Sense id: en-bargain_basement-en-noun-FUim44AP
  2. (attributively, often hyphenated) Inexpensive. Tags: attributive
    Sense id: en-bargain_basement-en-noun-ApXcZCVI Categories (other): English alliterative compounds, English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English alliterative compounds: 31 45 24 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 34 45 21 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 21 64 15 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 25 54 20
  3. (idiomatic, attributively, often hyphenated) Of poor quality; of little or no value; low-end, shoddy. Tags: attributive, idiomatic
    Sense id: en-bargain_basement-en-noun-8p2Y837~

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for bargain basement meaning in English (4.3kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "bargain basements",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "bargain basement (plural bargain basements)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1922, Christopher Morley, chapter 6, in Where the Blue Begins",
          "text": "\"Where will I find an aluminum cooking pot?\" growled the elder Beagle unexpectedly.\n\"In the Bargain Basement,\" said Gissing promptly.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1949 April 11, “Business & Finance: Basement Bedlam”, in Time, retrieved 2013-08-05",
          "text": "To proper Bostonians . . . it was not quite a riot: it was merely the first big postwar men's-wear sale at Filene's bargain basement.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An area within a retail store, especially an area located below ground level, where the least costly merchandise can be found."
      ],
      "id": "en-bargain_basement-en-noun-FUim44AP",
      "links": [
        [
          "retail",
          "retail"
        ],
        [
          "least",
          "least"
        ],
        [
          "costly",
          "costly"
        ],
        [
          "merchandise",
          "merchandise"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "31 45 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English alliterative compounds",
          "parents": [
            "Alliterative compounds",
            "Alliterative phrases",
            "Compound terms",
            "Phrases",
            "Terms by etymology",
            "Lemmas",
            "Multiword terms"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "34 45 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
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          "_dis": "21 64 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
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            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "25 54 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
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            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1987 June 18, “Soviets to offer bargain-basement satellite launches”, in The Courier, Arizona, USA, retrieved 2013-08-05, page 3A",
          "text": "The Soviet Union is offering to send commercial satellites into orbit at bargain-basement prices.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 January 19, Stephen Holden, “A Producer for All Seasons (Also Juggles)”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-08-05",
          "text": "An ebullient woman aswirl in colorful layers of bargain-basement clothes and zany hats, Barbara Siegel also happens to be chairwoman of the Drama Desk nominating committee.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Inexpensive."
      ],
      "id": "en-bargain_basement-en-noun-ApXcZCVI",
      "links": [
        [
          "hyphenate",
          "hyphenate"
        ],
        [
          "Inexpensive",
          "inexpensive"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "often hyphenated",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(attributively, often hyphenated) Inexpensive."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "attributive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1965 July 30, “The Law: Police: Deputy Doe, B.A.”, in Time, retrieved 2013-08-05",
          "text": "\"This nation can't afford bargain-basement cops any more,\" says Oregon's Multnomah County (Portland) Sheriff Donald Clark. . . . Almost everyone agrees that U.S. police sorely need more education.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1984 March 27, “Democrats Stall Anti-crime Bill, Reagan Hints”, in Schenectady Gazette, retrieved 2013-08-05, page 12",
          "text": "We are not going to ask the brave young men and women who defend this country to put their lives on the line using obsolete weapons and bargain-basement equipment.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of poor quality; of little or no value; low-end, shoddy."
      ],
      "id": "en-bargain_basement-en-noun-8p2Y837~",
      "links": [
        [
          "hyphenate",
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        [
          "poor",
          "poor"
        ],
        [
          "quality",
          "quality"
        ],
        [
          "value",
          "value"
        ],
        [
          "low-end",
          "low-end"
        ],
        [
          "shoddy",
          "shoddy"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "often hyphenated",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, attributively, often hyphenated) Of poor quality; of little or no value; low-end, shoddy."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "attributive",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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      "audio": "en-au-bargain basement.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/56/En-au-bargain_basement.ogg/En-au-bargain_basement.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/En-au-bargain_basement.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
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      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "bargain basement"
}
{
  "categories": [
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    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "bargain basements",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
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  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {},
      "expansion": "bargain basement (plural bargain basements)",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
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        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1922, Christopher Morley, chapter 6, in Where the Blue Begins",
          "text": "\"Where will I find an aluminum cooking pot?\" growled the elder Beagle unexpectedly.\n\"In the Bargain Basement,\" said Gissing promptly.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1949 April 11, “Business & Finance: Basement Bedlam”, in Time, retrieved 2013-08-05",
          "text": "To proper Bostonians . . . it was not quite a riot: it was merely the first big postwar men's-wear sale at Filene's bargain basement.",
          "type": "quotation"
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      ],
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        "An area within a retail store, especially an area located below ground level, where the least costly merchandise can be found."
      ],
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          "retail",
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        ],
        [
          "least",
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          "merchandise",
          "merchandise"
        ]
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        {
          "ref": "1987 June 18, “Soviets to offer bargain-basement satellite launches”, in The Courier, Arizona, USA, retrieved 2013-08-05, page 3A",
          "text": "The Soviet Union is offering to send commercial satellites into orbit at bargain-basement prices.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 January 19, Stephen Holden, “A Producer for All Seasons (Also Juggles)”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-08-05",
          "text": "An ebullient woman aswirl in colorful layers of bargain-basement clothes and zany hats, Barbara Siegel also happens to be chairwoman of the Drama Desk nominating committee.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Inexpensive."
      ],
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          "hyphenate",
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          "Inexpensive",
          "inexpensive"
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(attributively, often hyphenated) Inexpensive."
      ],
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        "attributive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
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        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1965 July 30, “The Law: Police: Deputy Doe, B.A.”, in Time, retrieved 2013-08-05",
          "text": "\"This nation can't afford bargain-basement cops any more,\" says Oregon's Multnomah County (Portland) Sheriff Donald Clark. . . . Almost everyone agrees that U.S. police sorely need more education.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1984 March 27, “Democrats Stall Anti-crime Bill, Reagan Hints”, in Schenectady Gazette, retrieved 2013-08-05, page 12",
          "text": "We are not going to ask the brave young men and women who defend this country to put their lives on the line using obsolete weapons and bargain-basement equipment.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of poor quality; of little or no value; low-end, shoddy."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "hyphenate",
          "hyphenate"
        ],
        [
          "poor",
          "poor"
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        [
          "value",
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        ],
        [
          "low-end",
          "low-end"
        ],
        [
          "shoddy",
          "shoddy"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "often hyphenated",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, attributively, often hyphenated) Of poor quality; of little or no value; low-end, shoddy."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "attributive",
        "idiomatic"
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      "tags": [
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}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-12 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (ae36afe and 304864d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.