How to use basil in a sentence

19 example sentences · noun, verb

Basil means a plant (Ocimum basilicum). Example: “The soup had just a whisper of basil.”

Examples of basil by meaning

verbTo grind the edge of a tool to an acute angle.

These usually large chisels may have the edge basiled on either the inside or the outside of the 90° angle of the blade.1972, Alex W[inkler] Bealer, “Chiseling”, in Old Ways of Working Wood, Barre, Mass.: Barre Publishing Company, Inc., published March 1976...

nounA fetter fastened round the ankle of a prisoner.

When I once more feel that sharp smarting around the scabby sores that cluster like so many oysters on my ankles beneath my chained iron basils, I know that the tide has turned.2001, Richard Flanagan, Gould's Book of Fish, Vintage, published 2016, page 49

More sentences with basil

The soup had just a whisper of basil.From the entry whisper
Tomatoes and basil are popular ingredients in pasta sauces.From the entry pasta sauce
Your basil is doing well, you must be green-fingered.From the entry green-fingered
His pandan, lemongrass, chilli padi, Thai basil and curry leaf plants—their leaves were so green, so glorious.2023, Agnes Chew, Eternal Summer of My Homeland, Epigram Books, →ISBN, page 12. From the entry chilli padi
Minted meat balls, basiled goat cheese, mango and cilantro salsa, sushi.2002, Northwest Review, volume 40, University of Oregon, page 16. From the entry basiled
Top the gelée with a scoop of sorbet and garnish with a sprig of baby basil.2001, Claudia Fleming with Melissa Clark, The Last Course: A Cookbook, New York, N.Y.: Random House, →ISBN. From the entry gelée
Basil adds an interesting, fresh flavor to the concassé.2006, Anne C. Chappell, The All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookboook: The Ultimate Guide from America's #1 Food Magazine, page 168. From the entry concassé
Martin’s), gardeners can add natural flavor to after-dinner treats (try the basiled peaches bruschetta with pineapple mint custard sauce).1999, New Age: The Journal for Holistic Living, volume 16, number 7, page 62, column 3. From the entry basiled
It is decorated with flowers, ribbons, a small wreath of sweet basil and other herbs, or an embroidered towel.1997, Ann Ball, Catholic Traditions in the Garden, page 79. From the entry didukh
"Basil got a ‘Gordie Howe hat trick’," Dave Gagner said.1989 December 17, “North Stars Snap Road Slump 4-3”, in St. Paul Pioneer Press, retrieved 21 Sep 2013. From the entry Gordie Howe hat trick
She led them along a path edged with round, whitewashed stones and equally rounded basils of a clamorous green.1970, Patrick White, chapter 6, in The Vivisector, New York: Avon, published 1980, page 376. From the entry clamorous
We stuck a sprig of basil behind our ears, one of my cousins took his guitar, and we went serenading.1952, Nikos Kazantzakis, chapter 4, in Carl Wildman, transl., Zorba the Greek, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, translation of Βίος και…. From the entry young blood
Basil, and spread throughout Palestine; when the Moslems captured the Holy Land these "Carmelites" migrated to Cyprus, Sicily, France, and England.1950, Will Durant, The Age of Faith, Simon and Schuster,, page 792. From the entry anchorite
It's delicate and definitely squashy, but in this recipe, the saffron, basil, and umami boost from nutritional yeast make it something to reckon with.2014, Deborah Madison, The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed, →ISBN, page 190. From the entry squashy
At Chapter One, these chocolate fondants are served restaurant-style with a crème brulée ravioli and an unusual basil ice cream as well as the warm sauce given.2005, Georgina Campbell, Irish Country House Cooking: The Blue Book Recipe Collection, page 62. From the entry fondant
Absolute oil of reseda has an odour recalling that of violet leaves, but with a rather fine 'powdery' background and a suggestion of rose and a little basil.[2003], H. Panda, “Raw Materials: Products of Natural Origin”, in The Complete Technology Book on Herbal Perfumes & Cosmetics, New Delhi…. From the entry reseda
For this update on a chicken parm sandwich, I bread and sauté thin chicken breast cutlets and layer them with fresh basil, mozzarella cheese, and leftover spaghetti on garlic-buttered ciabatta.2013, Kathy Strahs, The Ultimate Panini Press Cookbook. From the entry parm

Meaning of basil

noun A plant (Ocimum basilicum).
noun The leaves of this plant used as a herb.
noun Any other species in the genus Ocimum.

Full definition of basil

Questions about basil in a sentence

How do you use basil in a sentence?: Basil is used as a noun and verb. For example: “The soup had just a whisper of basil.”
What is a short sentence with basil?: “The soup had just a whisper of basil.”
What does basil mean?: Basil means a plant (Ocimum basilicum).

Adapted from Wiktionary: basil (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use basil in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/basil. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.