Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Wiktionary
n. (context geography English) An extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a river or series of rivers.
WordNet
n. the entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries; "flood control in the Missouri basin" [syn: basin]
Usage examples of "river basin".
The Ibans originally settled on the Kapuas River basin in central Borneo.
Then we hit the mangrove swamps of the Labuk River basin which are flooded and the bloody place is infested with huge crocodiles.
These were smuggled illegally out of the Amazon River basin - do you know where that is?
Their animals were grazing among the willows in the periodic river basin to the west of the town and what seemed to be rocks or debris under the wall was the sordid collection of leantos and wickiups thrown up with poles and hides and wagonsheets.
He could hear the heavy crumping of explosions from the south, down towards the river basin and the factory district.
On the incline to one side of the cemetery a long length of black plastic pipe ran from a house trailer down to the lip of the river basin.
We joined the emperor's force and we advanced up this river basin over the summer.
The member of the OrieniadCerro was his namehad introduced him to a Sarakkon by the name of Courion, and it was Courion who had led Pnin into the Axetl River basin, where Pnin had seen the Temple of Abrasea, where he had learned that some among the Sarakkon secretly practiced their own form of sorceryan astonishing ability to murder.
After two months of traveling a few short kilometers each night to elude the Spanish and remain out of sight of any Indians who might give him away, he crossed over the continental divide of the Andes, through the isolated valleys, and descended into the green hell of the Amazon River Basin.