2 Bases is the plural of basis .
bash /bæ ʃ/ (bashes , bashing , bashed )
1 N‑COUNT A bash is a party or celebration, especially a large one held by an official organization or attended by famous people. [INFORMAL ] □ He threw one of the biggest showbiz bashes of the year.
2 VERB If someone bashes you, they attack you by hitting or punching you hard. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n] If someone tried to bash my best mate they would have to bash me as well. □ [V n prep/adv] I bashed him on the head and dumped him in the cold, cold water. □ [be/get V -ed] Two women were hurt and the chef was bashed over the head with a bottle.
3 VERB If you bash something, you hit it hard in a rough or careless way. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n prep/adv] Too many golfers try to bash the ball out of sand. That spells disaster. □ [V prep/adv] A stand-in drummer bashes on a single snare and a pair of cymbals. [Also V n]
4 N‑COUNT If you get a bash on a part of your body, someone or something hits you hard, or you bump into something. [INFORMAL ]
5 VERB To bash someone means to criticize them severely, usually in a public way. [JOURNALISM ] □ [V n] The President could continue to bash Democrats as being soft on crime.
6 → see also -bashing
-basher /-bæʃə r / (-bashers ) COMB -basher combines with nouns to form nouns referring to someone who is physically violent towards a particular type of person, or who is unfairly critical of a particular type of person. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …gay-bashers who go around looking for homosexuals to beat up.
bash|ful /bæ ʃfʊl/ ADJ Someone who is bashful is shy and easily embarrassed. □ He seemed bashful and awkward. □ …a bashful young lady. ● bash|ful|ly /bæ ʃfʊli/ ADV [ADV with v] □ 'No,' Wang Fu said bashfully. ● bash|ful|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ I was overcome with bashfulness when I met her.
-bashing /-bæʃ I ŋ/
1 COMB -bashing combines with nouns to form nouns or adjectives that refer to strong, public, and often unfair criticism of the people or group mentioned. [JOURNALISM , DISAPPROVAL ] □ Tory-bashing or Labour-bashing will not be enough to shift bored, suspicious voters.
2 COMB -bashing combines with nouns to form nouns or adjectives that refer to the activity of violently attacking the people mentioned just because they belong to a particular group or community. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …an outburst of violent gay-bashing in New York and other cities.
3 → see also bash
ba|sic ◆◆◇ /be I s I k/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use basic to describe things, activities, and principles that are very important or necessary, and on which others depend. □ One of the most basic requirements for any form of angling is a sharp hook. □ …the basic skills of reading, writing and communicating. □ …the basic laws of physics. □ Access to justice is a basic right.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Basic goods and services are very simple ones which every human being needs. You can also refer to people's basic needs for such goods and services. □ …shortages of even the most basic foodstuffs. □ Hospitals lack even basic drugs for surgical operations. □ …the basic needs of food and water.
3 ADJ If one thing is basic to another, it is absolutely necessary to it, and the second thing cannot exist, succeed, or be imagined without it. □ [+ to ] …an oily liquid, basic to the manufacture of a host of other chemical substances. □ [+ to ] There are certain ethical principles that are basic to all the great religions.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] You can use basic to emphasize that you are referring to what you consider to be the most important aspect of a situation, and that you are not concerned with less important details. [EMPHASIS ] □ There are three basic types of tea. □ The basic design changed little from that patented by Edison more than 100 years ago. □ The basic point is that sanctions cannot be counted on to produce a sure result.
5 ADJ You can use basic to describe something that is very simple in style and has only the most necessary features, without any luxuries. □ We provide 2-person tents and basic cooking and camping equipment. □ …the extremely basic hotel room.
6 ADJ [ADJ n] Basic is used to describe a price or someone's income when this does not include any additional amounts. □ …an increase of more than twenty per cent on the basic pay of a typical worker. □ The basic price for a 10-minute call is only £2.49.
7 ADJ [ADJ n] The basic rate of income tax is the lowest or most common rate, which applies to people who earn average incomes. □ All this is to be done without big rises in the basic level of taxation. □ …a basic-rate taxpayer.
ba|si|cal|ly ◆◇◇ /be I s I kli/
1 ADV You use basically for emphasis when you are stating an opinion, or when you are making an important statement about something. [EMPHASIS ] □ This gun is designed for one purpose–it's basically to kill people. □ Basically I think he would be someone who complemented me in terms of character.
2 ADV You use basically to show that you are describing a situation in a simple, general way, and that you are not concerned with less important details. □ Basically you've got two choices. □ It's basically a vegan diet. SYNONYMS basically ADV 2
fundamentally: He can be very charming, but he is fundamentally a bully.
essentially: Essentially, vines and grapes need water, heat and light.