3 N‑COUNT [usu with poss] The base of an object such as a box or vase is the lower surface of it that touches the surface it rests on. □ [+ of ] Remove from the heat and plunge the base of the pan into a bowl of very cold water.
4 N‑COUNT [oft n N ] The base of an object that has several sections and that rests on a surface is the lower section of it. □ 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. □ 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 [usu sing] A position or thing that is a base for something is one from which that thing can be developed or achieved. □ 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. □ [V n + on/upon ] He based his conclusions on the evidence given by the captured prisoners. ● based ADJ □ [+ on/upon ] 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. □ Gunfire was heard at an army base close to the airport. □ …a massive air base in eastern Saudi Arabia.
10 N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] Your base is the main place where you work, stay, or live. □ For most of the spring and early summer her base was her home in Scotland.
11 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If a place is a base for a certain activity, the activity can be carried out at that place or from that place. □ The two hotels 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.
14 N‑COUNT A base in baseball, softball, or rounders is one of the places at each corner of the square on the pitch.
base|ball ◆◇◇ /be I sbɔːl/ (baseballs )
1 N‑UNCOUNT In America, baseball is a game played by two teams of nine players. Each player from one team hits a ball with a bat and then tries to run around three bases and get to the home base before the other team can get the ball back.
2 N‑COUNT A baseball is a small hard ball which is used in the game of baseball.
base|board /be I sbɔːd/ (baseboards ) N‑COUNT A baseboard is a narrow length of wood which goes along the bottom of a wall in a room and makes a border between the walls and the floor. [AM ] in BRIT, use skirting board
based ◆◆◆ /be I st/
1 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you are based in a particular place, that is the place where you live or do most of your work. □ Both firms are based in Kent. □ Based on the edge of Lake Matt, Sunbeam Yachts started boatbuilding in 1870.
2 → see also base
-based /-be I st/
1 COMB -based combines with nouns referring to places to mean something positioned or existing mainly in the place mentioned, or operating or organized from that place. □ …a Washington-based organization. □ …land-based missiles.
2 COMB -based combines with nouns to mean that the thing mentioned is a central part or feature. □ …computer-based jobs. □ …oil-based sauces.
3 COMB -based combines with adverbs to mean having a particular kind of basis. □ There are growing signs of more broadly-based popular unrest.
base|less /be I sləs/ ADJ If you describe an accusation, rumour, or report as baseless , you mean that it is not true and is not based on facts. □ The charges against her are baseless. □ …baseless allegations of corruption.
base|line /be I sla I n/ (baselines ) also base-line
1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The baseline of a tennis, badminton, or basketball court is one of the lines at each end of the court that mark the limits of play. □ Martinez, when she served, usually stayed on the baseline.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] In baseball, the baseline is the line that a player must not cross when running between bases.
3 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A baseline is a value or starting point on a scale with which other values can be compared. □ [+ for ] You'll need such information to use as a baseline for measuring progress.
base|ment /be I smənt/ (basements ) N‑COUNT The basement of a building is a floor built partly or completely below ground level. □ They bought an old schoolhouse to live in and built a workshop in the basement.
ba se me t|al (base metals ) N‑VAR A base metal is a metal such as copper, zinc, tin, or lead that is not a precious metal.
ba se rate (base rates ) N‑COUNT 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 ] □ Bank base rates of 7 per cent are too high.
bases Pronounced /be I s I z/ for meaning 1 . Pronounced /be I siːz/ and hyphenated ba+ses for meaning 2 . 1 Bases is the plural of base .