base (bases plural & 3rd person present) (basing present participle) (based past tense & past participle) (baser comparative) (basest superlative )
1 n-count The base of something is its lowest edge or part.
usu the N of n
(=bottom) (Antonym: top)
There was a cycle path running along this side of the wall, right at its base..., Line the base and sides of a 20cm deep round cake tin with paper.
2 n-count The base of something is the lowest part of it, where it is attached to something else.
usu the N of n
The surgeon placed catheters through the veins and arteries near the base of the head.
3 n-count The base of an object such as a box or vase is the lower surface of it that touches the surface it rests on.
usu with poss
(=bottom, underneath)
Remove from the heat and plunge the base of the pan into a bowl of very cold water.
4 n-count The base of an object that has several sections and that rests on a surface is the lower section of it.
usu with supp, oft n N
The mattress is best on a solid bed base..., The clock stands on an oval marble base, enclosed by a glass dome.
5 n-count A base is a layer of something which will have another layer added to it.
usu with supp
Spoon the mixture on to the biscuit base and cook in a pre-heated oven..., On many modern wooden boats, epoxy coatings will have been used as a base for varnishing.
6 n-count A position or thing that is a base for something is one from which that thing can be developed or achieved.
usu sing, with supp
(=basis, foundation)
The family base was crucial to my development.
7 verb If you base one thing on another thing, the first thing develops from the second thing.
He based his conclusions on the evidence given by the captured prisoners. V n on/upon n
based adj v-link ADJ on/upon n
Three of the new products are based on traditional herbal medicines...
8 n-count A company's client base or customer base is the group of regular clients or customers that the company gets most of its income from. (BUSINESS)
The company has been expanding its customer base using trade magazine advertising.
9 n-count A military base is a place which part of the armed forces works from.
usu supp N
Gunfire was heard at an army base close to the airport., ...a massive air base in eastern Saudi Arabia.
10 n-count Your base is the main place where you work, stay, or live.
usu poss N
For most of the spring and early summer her base was her home in Scotland.
11 n-count If a place is a base for a certain activity, the activity can be carried out at that place or from that place.
usu sing, usu N prep
The two hotel-restaurants are attractive bases from which to explore southeast Tuscany...
12 n-count The base of a substance such as paint or food is the main ingredient of it, to which other substances can be added.
Drain off any excess marinade and use it as a base for a pouring sauce..., Oils may be mixed with a base oil and massaged into the skin.
13 n-count A base is a system of counting and expressing numbers. The decimal system uses base 10, and the binary system uses base 2.
also N num
14 n-count A base in baseball, softball, or rounders is one of the places at each corner of the square on the pitch.
air base (air bases plural ), airbase An air base is a centre where military aircraft take off or land and are serviced, and where many of the centre's staff live. n-count
base metal (base metals plural )A base metal is a metal such as copper, zinc, tin, or lead that is not a precious metal. n-var
(Antonym: precious metal)
base rate (base rates plural )In Britain, the base rate is the rate of interest that banks use as a basis when they are calculating the rates that they charge on loans. (BUSINESS) n-count
Bank base rates of 7 per cent are too high.
client base (client bases plural )A business's client base is the same as its customer base. (BUSINESS) n-count
Enviros Consulting has a client base of more than 2,000 organisations worldwide.
customer base (customer bases plural )A business's customer base is all its regular customers, considered as a group. (BUSINESS) n-count
...Halifax's customer base of 21 million people.
power base (power bases plural ), power-base The power base of a politician or other leader is the area or the group of people from which they get most support, and which enables him or her to become powerful. n-count oft with poss
Milan was Mr Craxi's home town and his power base.
