base
noun OPAL W
/beɪs/
/beɪs/
Idioms 
enlarge image[countable, usually singular] the lowest part of something, especially the part or surface on which it rests or stands- The lamp has a heavy base.
- the base of a column/glass
- at the base of something He felt a sharp pain at the base of his spine.
Homophones base | bassbase bass/beɪs//beɪs/- base noun
- Cut the stalks at their base.
- base verb
- The government is to base its decision on the results of these trials.
- base adjective
- The trolls typify all that is base and ugly in human nature.
- bass noun
- This song is all treble and no bass.
- bass adjective
- His powerful bass voice contributed much to the film.
Synonyms bottombottom- base
- foundation
- foot
- bottom [usually sing.] the lowest part of something:
- Footnotes are given at the bottom of each page.
- I waited for them at the bottom of the hill.
- base [usually sing.] the lowest part of something, especially the part or surface on which it rests or stands:
- The lamp has a heavy base.
- foundation [usually pl.] a layer of stone, concrete, etc. that forms the solid underground base of a building:
- to lay the foundations of the new school
- foot [sing.] the lowest part of something:
- At the foot of the stairs she turned to face him.
- at/near/towards the bottom/base/foot of something
- on the bottom/base of something
- (a) firm/solid/strong base/foundation(s)
Extra Examples- The statue has a solid concrete base.
- Four bronze lions stand at the base of the column.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- firm
- solid
- strong
- …
- have
- [countable] the main place where you live or stay or where a business operates from
- I spend a lot of time in Britain but Paris is still my base.
- base for doing something The town is an ideal base for touring the area.
- base for something The organization is looking for a permanent base for its operations.
- as a base You can use our apartment as a base in New York.
- The company has its base in New York, and branch offices all over the world.
- The company has set up its new base in the north.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- excellent
- ideal
- perfect
- …
- have
- establish
- set up
- …
- camp
- base for
- [countable, uncountable] a place where an army, a navy, etc. operates from
- a military/naval base
- an air base
- After the attack, they returned to base.
- The UN forces headed back to base.
Wordfinder- admiral
- aircraft carrier
- base
- captain
- command
- fleet
- navy
- submarine
- torpedo
- warship
Extra ExamplesTopics War and conflictb1- Demonstrators demanded the removal of foreign bases.
- The Americans established a naval base on the island in the 1960s.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- foreign
- air
- air-force
- …
- have
- build
- establish
- …
- at a/the base
- on a/the base
- to (the) base
- …
- [countable, usually singular] the people, activity, etc. from which somebody/something gets most of their support, income, power, etc.
- These policies have a broad base of support.
- We once had an economy with a solid manufacturing base.
- By broadening the tax base (= increasing the number of people who pay taxes) he could raise more revenue.
- We have developed a strong client base.
- This course is an opportunity to expand my knowledge base
- The country has a sound commercial base.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- solid
- sound
- broad
- …
- create
- form
- have
- …
- grow
- shrink
- (especially North American English) (British English usually basic)base pay/salary/wage the pay that you get before anything extra is added
- All we got was base pay—we didn't reach profitability levels to award a bonus.
- [countable] an idea, a fact, a situation, etc. from which something is developed synonym basis
- She used her family's history as a base for her novel.
- His arguments have a sound economic base.
- These policies give us a solid base for winning the next election.
Synonyms basisbasis- foundation
- base
- basis [usually sing.] a principle, an idea or a fact that supports something and that it can develop from:
- This article will form the basis for our discussion.
- foundation [C, U] a principle, an idea or a fact that supports something and that it develops from:
- Respect and friendship provide a solid foundation for marriage.
- The rumour is totally without foundation (= is not based on any facts).
- base [usually sing.] an idea, a fact or a situation from which something is developed:
- His arguments have a sound economic base.
- a/the basis/foundation/base for/of something
- a secure/solid/sound/strong/weak basis/foundation/base
- to form the basis/foundation/base of something
- to be without basis/foundation
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- firm
- secure
- solid
- …
- form
- have
- establish
- …
- base for
- [countable, usually singular] the first or main part of a substance to which other things are added
- a drink with a rum base
- Put some moisturizer on as a base before applying your make-up.
- [countable] a chemical substance, for example an alkali, that can combine with an acid to form a salt
- [countable, usually singular] a number on which a system of counting and expressing numbers is built up, for example 10 in the decimal system and 2 in the binary system
- [countable] one of the four positions that a player must reach in order to score points see also first base, second base, third baseTopics Sports: ball and racket sportsc1 see also database
lowest part
main place
of army, etc.
of support/income/power
original idea/situation
first/main substance
chemistry
mathematics
in baseball/rounders
Word Originnoun Middle English: from Old French, from Latin basis ‘base, pedestal’, from Greek.
Idioms
cover all the bases
- to consider and deal with all the things that could happen or could be needed when you are arranging something
- I am confident this contract covers all the bases.
not get to first base (with something/somebody)
- (informal, especially North American English) to fail to make a successful start in a project, relationship, etc.; to fail to get through the first stageTopics Difficulty and failurec2
off base
- (North American English, informal) completely wrong about something
- If that's what you think, you're way off base.
touch base (with somebody)
- (informal) to make contact with somebody again