base
noun · verb · adjective
Simple meaning
Something from which other things extend.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
baysIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbeɪs
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Something from which other things extend; a foundation.
The starting point of a logical deduction or thought; basis.
A supporting, lower or bottom component of a structure or object.
The place where decisions for an organization are made; headquarters.
Important areas in games and sports.
A safe zone in the children's games of tag and hide-and-go-seek.
verb
transitive
To give as its foundation or starting point; to lay the foundation of.
transitive
To be located (at a particular place).
adjective
Low in place or position.
of a metal
Not considered precious or noble.
Alloyed with inferior metal; debased.
Morally reprehensible, immoral; cowardly.
Not classical or correct.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A supporting, lower or bottom component of a structure or object.
Used this way, base is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- fundament , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use base
- “A tub should sit on its own base.”noun
- “It was built on a base of solid rock.”noun
- “Glycerinated gelatin is used as a base for many ointments.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
The lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
One of the pairs of chemical bases joined by hydrogen bonds that connect the complementary strands of a DNA molecule or of an RNA molecule that has two strands.
An advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls.
Installation from which a military force initiates operations.
A metal that is common and not considered precious.
A baseball player on the team at bat who is on base (or attempting to reach a base).
The successful act of striking a baseball in such a way that the batter reaches base safely.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The area of a baseball field that is enclosed by 3 bases and home plate.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.