basicallyba‧sic‧ally /ˈbeɪsɪkli/ ●●● S1 adverb 
Examples
Basically, I’m just lazy. Well, basically, it’s a matter of filling in a few forms. I used to see him every night, basically.2in the main or most important ways, without considering additional details or differences SYN fundamentally: All cheeses are made in basically the same way. I believe that human beings are basically good. Basically, he hadn’t changed at all.
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Basically we're looking for someone who can work three afternoons a week.
- Basically, you just have to write what the teachers want.
- Norwegian and Danish are basically the same.
- The film appears to be quite complicated but it's basically a love story.
- The office was very basically equipped.
- We only took a few shirts and a pair of jeans. That's basically it, really.
- Well, basically, she's just a lot of fun to work with.
- But he says the company basically is in the same predicament it was 10 years ago.
- He knew that basically he had enjoyed the careful battle of wits.
- He made films that were designed basically for the drive-in movie, to be glimpsed between clinches.
- People are basically selfish, angry and mean.
- The identity of a man is basically no different from that of any other animal.
- William Green was basically a family man.
- You got to know the people. ... I don't think you can do the job basically, in an office.
Longman Language Activatorwhat you say to explain the most basic facts, reasons etc► basically
Collocations spoken say this when you want to talk about the most basic facts, reasons etc about something: · Basically we're looking for someone who can work three afternoons a week.· We only took a few shirts and a pair of jeans. That's basically it, really.· The film appears to be quite complicated but it's basically a love story.
► at the end of the day British spoken say this when you are saying what you think is basically true about a situation after considering all the facts: · At the end of the day, the best team won.· You may be working for yourself but at the end of the day you still have to pay tax on what you earn.
► essentially also in essence formal use this when you are explaining what the basic truth about something is: · She's added a few characters and changed some names but essentially this is a true story.· The theory of relativity is, in essence, very simple.
► in the final/last analysis use this to say what you think is the basic truth about a situation after considering all the facts carefully: · In the final analysis Stalin was just as much a dictator as Hitler.· The responsibility for the accident must, in the last analysis, rest with the captain.
to be the most basic meaning of a statement► basically/essentially you say basically or essentially as a way of introducing the general meaning of a longer or more complicated statement: · I won't read it all to you, but basically they want us to leave the house.· Basically, the author is in favour of disarmament but with a few reservations.· This is essentially the same argument that Arnold used in "Culture and Anarchy".
► boil down to/come down to if a long statement, argument, discussion etc boils down to or comes down to a simple fact, that is its simplest and most important meaning: · The argument boiled down to him saying I did and me saying I didn't.· That's what it boils down to then: he's not prepared to help us.· They make a variety of points, but what their complaints come down to is, no one seems to care.
► amount to if a statement amounts to something, that is what it means or that is the effect it has, especially if this is something that the person making the statement was deliberately trying to avoid: · The fact that he said he was sorry after the accident amounts to a confession of guilt.· Their request for better working conditions amounted to a criticism of the management.
► in other words you say in other words when you are going to make clear the meaning of something you have just said, using simpler words: · He prides himself on his powers of persuasion -- or, in other words, his salesmanship.· The books and materials are kept on closed access, in other words available only to the library staff.
► to that effect you say that someone said something to that effect , when you are giving the general meaning of what they said, even if you do not use the same words: · I thought he was wrong and I said something to that effect at dinner.words to that effect: · James said he was unhappy in his work or words to that effect.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE► good
Word family· The seats are excellent too, with support where it's needed and basically good driving position, adjustable for height.· What do you do with a basically good child who helped commit a murder?· Some families who ask for help have a basically good relationship with their children.· It was a basically good design which needed further improvements to it.
► similar· It would appear that one, two, four and six are marked in a basically similar fashion.· But tax harmonizing brings with it an implicit harmonization of spending levels, since total tax burdens must be basically similar.· Payment of fees and grants Fees set by each drama school do differ slightly, though they can be considered basically similar.· Despite their differences, the two oceans support basically similar food webs, with high seasonal productivity from small overwintering standing crops.· The epidemiology in subtropical areas is basically similar to that in temperate zones, except that the seasonable timing of events is different.· The guidance appears to suggest that the approach to urban and rural industrial and commercial developments should be basically similar.
VERB► mean· The handicap is caused by a chromosomal abnormality which basically means that there is an additional chromosome in the cells.
► tell· But how difficult is it to tell basically the same story four times?· Those rules basically tell pilots how to recognize icing conditions and what to do to avoid it.
WORD FAMILYnounbasethe basicsbasisadjectivebaselessbasicbasedverbbaseadverbbasically
1[sentence adverb] spoken used to emphasize the most important reason or fact about something, or a simple explanation of something: Basically, I’m just lazy. Well, basically, it’s a matter of filling in a few forms. I used to see him every night, basically.2in the main or most important ways, without considering additional details or differences SYN fundamentally: All cheeses are made in basically the same way. I believe that human beings are basically good. Basically, he hadn’t changed at all.