Pronunciations (3)
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/beɪs/
Pronunciation notes
- Canada
- General-American
- Received-Pronunciation
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/bæɪs/
Pronunciation notes
- Australia
- New-Zealand
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/beːs/
Pronunciation notes
- Ireland
Noun
Something from which other things extend; a foundation.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
Something from which other things extend; a foundation. A supporting, lower or bottom component of a structure or object.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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More examples (1)
Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime. Their bases were on a level with the pavement outside, a narrow way which was several feet lower than the road behind the house.
The starting point of a logical deduction or thought; basis.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
A site, structure, or both, usually durable and often permanent, for housing military personnel and materiel.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
The place where decisions for an organization are made; headquarters.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
A basic but essential component or ingredient.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
A substance used as a mordant in dyeing.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
Foundation: a cosmetic cream to make the face appear uniform.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
Any of a class of generally water-soluble compounds that turn red litmus blue and react with acids to form salts.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
Important areas in games and sports. A safe zone in the children's games of tag and hide-and-go-seek.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
Important areas in games and sports. One of the four places that a runner can stand without being subject to being tagged out when the ball is in play.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
The lowermost part of a column, between the shaft and the pedestal or pavement.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
A nucleotide's nucleobase in the context of a DNA or RNA biopolymer.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
The end of a leaf, petal or similar organ where it is attached to its support.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
The name of the controlling terminal of a bipolar transistor (BJT).
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
The lowest side of a triangle or other polygon, or the lowest face of a cone, pyramid or other polyhedron laid flat.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
The lowest third of a shield (or field), or an ordinary occupying this space, the champagne. (Compare terrace.)
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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More examples (1)
The shield was silver, charged with a red cross voided (that is, with the centre cut out and only the edges left), between in chief (that is, above the horizontal limb of the cross) two black dragon's wings, and in base two red daggers, and in the centre of the cross a black winged helmet; on a red chief (a broad band across the top of the shield), a silver pale (a broad vertical band), and thereon eight black arrows crossed X-wise, four and four, and encircled with a black band, between on the dexter three bendlets (narrow bands slanting from dexter chief to sinister base) enhanced (that is, raised above the centre), and on the sinister a fleur-de-lis, all of gold.
A number raised to the power of an exponent.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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The logarithm to base 2 of 8 is 3.
Synonym of radix.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
The set of sets from which a topology is generated.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
A topological space, looked at in relation to one of its covering spaces, fibrations, or bundles.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
A sequence of elements not jointly stabilized by any nontrivial group element.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
In hand-to-hand balance, the person who supports the flyer; the person that remains in contact with the ground.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
A morpheme (or morphemes) that serves as a basic foundation on which affixes can be attached.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
The smallest kind of cannon.
Usage- Countable
- Historical
- Uncountable
The housing of a horse.
Usage- Archaic
- Countable
- Uncountable
A kind of skirt (often of velvet or brocade) which hung from the middle to about the knees, or lower.
Usage- Countable
- Historical
- in-plural
- sometimes
- Uncountable
- Examples
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More examples (1)
[…] with flowers of gold, the body lined with velvet, and the bases, or skirts, with satin; also a frock of black satin, lined with sarcenet, having three welts of the same.
A kind of armour skirt, of mail or plate, imitating the preceding civilian skirt.
Usage- Countable
- Historical
- in-plural
- sometimes
- Uncountable
- Examples
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More examples (2)
The base (skirt), as opposed to the practical skirt of the tonlet armour, is an affectation in imitation of the civilian fabric garment of the period and may well have been inspired by a similar feature on Maximilian's gift armour.
Both knee-length bases are made from black velvet [...] There was a second type of metal skirt that could be worn with armour: the tonlet. [...] Unlike the base, however, the tonlet did not have a textile counterpart. [...]
The lower part of a robe or petticoat.
Usage- Countable
- Obsolete
- Uncountable
An apron.
Usage- Countable
- Obsolete
- Uncountable
- Examples
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bakers in their linen bases
A line in a survey which, being accurately determined in length and position, serves as the origin from which to compute the distances and positions of any points or objects connected with it by a system of triangles.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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Use the globe he inhabits as a base wherewith to measure the magnitude and distance of the sun and planets.
A group of voters who almost always support a single party's candidates for elected office.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Synonyms
The forces and relations of production that produce the necessities and amenities of life.
Usage- Marxism
- Countable
- Uncountable
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- Examples
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More examples (1)
What, then, in the last resort is the determining influence of the base on the superstructure, and what is the 'relative independence' possessed by the various forms of superstructure according to Engels and most theoretical Marxists?
A material that holds paint or other materials together; a binder.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
freebase cocaine
Usage- Slang
- Uncountable
- Examples
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TYLER LENNON (played by Louis Healy): Ten grand a week we were clearing: base, white, meth, weed, anything. I can get you anything to get you high.
More examples (1)
Shared you with my friends, the Pops they never had / You lived for our fishing trips, damn I had a dad / [...] / See, mine made sure he had every base covered / So imagine his pain finding base in the cupboard
Verb
To give as its foundation or starting point; to lay the foundation of.
Usage- Transitive
- Synonyms
- Examples
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Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material, rather than on herbarium plants.
To be located (at a particular place).
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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Troops have been based in Munich since the end of World War II.
Top management decided to base our new Spanish subsidiary in Arévalo (Ávila).
More examples (1)
Take a look at that. This is where we are going to be basing this season.
To act as a base; to be the person supporting the flyer.
- Examples
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More examples (1)
Apart from time taken out during radio- and chemotherapy, Maurs continued to participate in POW. She would base a flyer in a double balance and make the audience laugh with her clowning antics for two more shows.
To freebase.
Usage- Slang
- Examples
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You know he started to base at a hell of a pace / And now it's a disgrace, he's got the pipe in his face
Adjective
Low in height; short.
Usage- Obsolete
- Examples
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The cedar stoops not to the base shrub's foot.
Low in place or position.
- Examples
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I see thy glory like a shooting star / Fall to the base earth from the firmament.
Of low value or degree.
Usage- Obsolete
- Examples
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If thou livest in paine and sorrow, thy base courage is the cause of it, To die there wanteth but will.
Of low social standing or rank; vulgar, common.
Usage- Archaic
- Examples
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UUhat meanes the mightie Turkiſh Emperor To talke with one ſo baſe as Tamburlaine?
More examples (1)
Wherefore should I / Stand in the plague of custome, and permit / The curiosity of Nations, to deprive me? For that I am some twelve, or fourteen Moonshines / Lag of a Brother? Why Bastard? Wherefore base? / When my Dimensions are as well compact, My minde as generous, and my shape as true / As honest madams issue? Why brand they us / With Base? With basenes Bastardie? Base, Base?
a peasant and base swain
Morally reprehensible, immoral; cowardly.
- Examples
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a cruel act of a base and a cowardish mind
base ingratitude
More examples (2)
“Mrs. Yule's chagrin and horror at what she called her son's base ingratitude knew no bounds ; at first it was even thought that she would never get over it.[…]”
Base emotions drive the horde
Inferior; unworthy, of poor quality.
Usage- Archaic
- Synonyms
- Examples
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'Like this horrible film.' 'Horrible?' Lenina was genuinely astonished. 'But I thought it was lovely.' 'It was base,' he said indignantly, 'it was ignoble.'
Not considered precious or noble.
Usage- of a metal
Alloyed with inferior metal; debased.
- Examples
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base coin
base bullion
Of illegitimate birth; bastard.
Usage- Obsolete
- Examples
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Why bastard? Wherefore base?
Not classical or correct.
- Examples
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base Latin
Relating to feudal land tenure held by a tenant from a lord in exchange for services that are seen as unworthy for noblemen to perform, such as villeinage.
- Examples
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A base estate is one held by services not honourable, or held by villenage. Such a tenure is called base, or low, and the tenant is a base tenant.
Noun
The game of prisoners' bars.
Usage- US usage
- Historical
- Uncountable
- Examples
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to run the country base
So ran they all, as they had bene at bace, / They being chased that did others chase.
Adjective
serving as or forming a base
- Synonyms
- Examples
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the painter applied a base coat followed by two finishing coats
of low birth or station (‘base’ is archaic in this sense)
- Examples
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baseborn wretches with dirty faces
of humble (or lowly) birth
(used of metals) consisting of or alloyed with inferior metal
- Examples
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base coins of aluminum
a base metal
not adhering to ethical or moral principles
- Synonyms
- Examples
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base and unpatriotic motives
a base, degrading way of life
More examples (3)
cheating is dishonorable
they considered colonialism immoral
unethical practices in handling public funds
having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality
- Synonyms
- Examples
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taking a mean advantage
something essentially vulgar and meanspirited in politics
illegitimate
- Synonyms
debased; not genuine
- Examples
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an attempt to eliminate the base coinage
Noun
installation from which a military force initiates operations
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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the attack wiped out our forward bases
lowest support of a structure
- Broader terms
- Examples
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it was built on a base of solid rock
he stood at the foot of the tower
a place that the runner must touch before scoring
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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he scrambled to get back to the bag
the bottom or lowest part
- Examples
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the base of the mountain
(anatomy) the part of an organ nearest its point of attachment
- Broader terms
- Examples
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the base of the skull
a lower limit
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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the government established a wage floor
the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained
- Broader terms
- Examples
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the whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture
a support or foundation
- Broader terms
- Examples
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the base of the lamp
a phosphoric ester of a nucleoside; the basic structural unit of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA)
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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bases include oxides and hydroxides of metals and ammonia
the bottom side of a geometric figure from which the altitude can be constructed
- Broader terms
- Examples
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the base of the triangle
the most important or necessary part of something
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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the basis of this drink is orange juice
(numeration system) the positive integer that is equivalent to one in the next higher counting place
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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10 is the radix of the decimal system
the place where you are stationed and from which missions start and end
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
- Broader terms
- Examples
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thematic vowels are part of the stem
the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area
- Synonyms
- Examples
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the industrial base of Japan
the principal ingredient of a mixture
- Broader terms
- Examples
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glycerinated gelatin is used as a base for many ointments
he told the painter that he wanted a yellow base with just a hint of green
More examples (1)
everything she cooked seemed to have rice as the base
a flat bottom on which something is intended to sit
- Broader terms
- Examples
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a tub should sit on its own base
(electronics) the part of a transistor that separates the emitter from the collector
- Broader terms
Verb
use as a basis for; found on
- Examples
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base a claim on some observation
situate as a center of operations
- Examples
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we will base this project in the new lab
use (purified cocaine) by burning it and inhaling the fumes
- Synonyms