BASE


Meaning of BASE in English

I. base 1 S1 W1 /beɪs/ BrE AmE verb

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ base , the basics, ↑ basis ; adjective : ↑ baseless , ↑ basic , ↑ based ; verb : ↑ base ; adverb : ↑ basically ]

[transitive usually passive] to have your main place of work, business etc in a particular place:

The paper had intended to base itself in London.

be based in something

The new organization will be based in Dallas.

⇨ ↑ based

base something on/upon something phrasal verb

to use something as the thing from which something else is developed ⇨ basis :

Their relationship was based upon mutual respect.

an economy based on farming

II. base 2 S2 W2 BrE AmE noun

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ base , the basics, ↑ basis ; adjective : ↑ baseless , ↑ basic , ↑ based ; verb : ↑ base ; adverb : ↑ basically ]

[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin basis ; ⇨ ↑ basis ]

1 . LOWEST PART [countable usually singular]

a) the lowest part or surface of something SYN bottom

base of

There is a door at the base of the tower.

the base of a triangle

a frozen dessert with a biscuit base

a wine glass with a heavy base

The leather of his left trainer was coming away from its rubber base.

b) the lowest point on a plant or part of your body, where it joins another part SYN bottom

base of

a hole in the base of the tree

He was killed by an axe blow to the base of his skull.

2 . KNOWLEDGE/IDEAS [countable] the most important part of something, from which new ideas develop SYN foundation :

India has a good scientific research base.

base for

They were laying the base for a new economic recovery.

3 . MILITARY [countable] a place where people in a military organization live and work

military/naval/air base

4 . COMPANY/ORGANIZATION [uncountable and countable] the main place from which a person, company, or organization controls their activities

base for

He used the house as a base for his printing business.

5 . PEOPLE/GROUPS [countable usually singular] the people, money, groups etc that form the main part of something:

The company has built up a loyal customer base.

By broadening the tax base (=all the people who pay taxes) , he could raise more revenues.

an attempt to strengthen the city’s economic base (=things that produce jobs and money)

The country’s manufacturing base (=all the factories, companies etc that produce goods in a country) has shrunk by 20%.

⇨ ↑ power base

6 . SUBSTANCE/MIXTURE [singular, uncountable] the main part of a substance, meal etc to which other things are added:

paint with an oil base

base for

Vodka is the base for many cocktails.

7 . SPORT [countable] one of the four places that a player must touch in order to get a point in games such as ↑ baseball

8 . be off base American English informal to be completely wrong:

His estimate for painting the kitchen seems way off base.

9 . CHEMICAL [countable] technical a chemical substance that combines with an acid to form a ↑ salt

10 . NUMBERS [countable usually singular] technical the number in relation to which a number system or mathematical table is built up, for example 10 in the ↑ decimal system

11 . touch base (with somebody) to talk to someone to find out what is happening about something

—basal adjective

⇨ cover (all) the bases at ↑ cover 1 (12)

• • •

COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)

■ adjectives

▪ a good base

This data provided a good base for further research.

▪ a solid/firm/strong base

A good education should give you a solid base for life.

▪ a sound/secure base

A child needs a responsive mother in order to form a secure base for future development.

▪ a broad base

The first year of the course aims to provide students with a broad base of knowledge.

▪ a knowledge base

You’re building up a knowledge base that you’ll be able to use later.

■ verbs

▪ have a base

Permanent staff have a better base from which to plan their career development.

▪ provide a base

It is essential to provide a sound base from which economic progress can be made.

▪ build a base

By concentrating on our core businesses we will build a strong base from which to exploit future opportunities.

▪ give somebody a base

The training gives you a broad base in actually running an organization.

• • •

THESAURUS

▪ the bottom the lowest part of something:

The house is at the bottom of that hill.

|

She scrolled down to the bottom of the screen.

▪ the underneath/the underside the bottom surface on the outside of something:

You will find the serial number on the underneath of the vacuum cleaner.

▪ base the lowest part or the wide bottom part on which something stands:

The lamp has a square base.

|

He had broken a bone at the base of his spine.

▪ the foot literary the bottom of a tree, a hill, or some stairs:

There was a small village at the foot of the mountain.

▪ bed the ground at the bottom of a river, a lake, or the sea:

the sea bed

|

They found some interesting stones on the river bed.

▪ the foundations the layer of cement and stones that forms the bottom of a building:

The builders have begun laying the foundations for the house.

III. base 3 BrE AmE adjective

[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: bas , from Medieval Latin bassus 'short, low' ]

not having good moral principles:

base attitudes and desires

⇨ ↑ base metal

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.