Base — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb adjective /ˈbās/

Meaning & Definition of Base

Base (noun)

  1. the bottom of something considered as its support, foundation
  2. that part of a bodily organ by which it is attached to another more central structure of the organism
  3. the lower part of a wall, pier, or column considered as a separate architectural feature

Base (verb)

  1. to find a foundation or basis for, to find a base for —usually used with on or upon
  2. to make, form, or serve as a base for

Base (adjective)

  1. lacking or indicating the lack of higher qualities of mind or spirit, ignoble
  2. lacking higher values, degrading
  3. being of comparatively low value and having relatively inferior properties (such as lack of resistance to corrosion)
  4. constituting or serving as a base
  5. of the simplest or most basic design or form, having the form of something before upgrades or customization

Base (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to find a basis

    "she based her argument on careful research"

    similar: ground, hang, predicate, rest
    related: establish, found, assume, postulate, premise, presume, presuppose, suppose

Base (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an immaterial thing upon which something else rests

    "the firm belief that complete trust between partners is the base of any successful marriage"

    similar: basis, bedrock, bottom, cornerstone, footing, foundation, ground, groundwork, keystone, root, underpinning, warp, warp and woof
    related: anchorage, bed, brace, bulwark, buttress, framework, infrastructure, mount, prop, shore, stay, substratum, substructure, support, assumption, justification, premise, presumption, presupposition, rationale, supposition, theory, thesis, warrant, backbone, center, core, eye, focus, heart, hub, kernel, nucleus, seat, essence, quintessence, soul, touchstone

  2. a place from which an advance (as for military operations) is made

    "the army's base of attack was kept top secret until the battle began"

    similar: bridgehead, foothold
    related: staging area, staging ground, beachhead, camp, center, emplacement, footing, front, headquarters, installation, station, airbase, bastion, fastness, fortress, stronghold, battlefront, field, toehold

  3. a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest

    "the base of the industry is California's Silicon Valley"

    similar: axis, capital, center, central, core, cynosure, epicenter, eye, focus, ground zero, heart, hub, locus, mecca, navel, nerve center, nexus, nucleus, omphalos, seat, where it's at
    related: headquarters, happy hunting ground, hive, hotbed, hot spot, playground, playland, kernel, nub, pith, deep, thick, essence, quintessence, soul, attraction, lodestone, magnet, polestar

  4. the lowest part, place, or point

    "the base of the mountain extends over a huge area"

    "make sure the base of the stove rests evenly on the floor"

    similar: basement, bottom, foot, nadir, rock bottom
    related: basis, bed, bedrock, foundation, ground, groundwork, keystone, seat, underpinning
    opposite: head, top, vertex
    near: acme, apex, climax, crest, culmination, height, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, tip, tip-top, zenith

  5. the place from which a commander runs operations

    "the army base is three miles down the road"

    similar: command, command post, headquarters
    related: home, seat

Base (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency

    "a base and sneaky act that is a clear violation of international law"

    similar: contemptible, currish, despicable, detestable, dirty, dishonorable, execrable, ignoble, ignominious, low, low-down, low-minded, mean, nasty, paltry, snide, sordid, vile, wretched
    related: bad, evil, foul, immoral, iniquitous, miscreant, wicked, wrong, cruel, vicious, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible, corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, perverted, atrocious, villainous, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous, discreditable, disgraceful, disreputable, shameful, unworthy
    opposite: high, high-minded, honorable, lofty, noble, straight, upright, venerable, virtuous
    near: ethical, honest, just, principled, righteous, right-minded, scrupulous, commendable, excellent, exemplary, good, moral, right, decent, proper, reputable, respectable, seemly, blameless, guiltless, incorruptible, irreproachable, uncorrupted, unerring

  2. showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness

    "their base obedience to every unprincipled action ordered by their leader"

    similar: abject, humble, menial, servile, slavish
    related: hangdog, lamblike, sheepish, demure, lowly, meek, modest, retiring, unassuming, unpretentious, fawning, sycophant, sycophantic, toadyish
    near: arrogant, haughty, high-handed, imperious, lordly, supercilious, superior, uppity

Related Entry: Off base (phrase)

Off base is a different word from Base. The synonyms below are for off base, not for base.

  1. not being in agreement with what is true

    "Their guess was completely off base."

    similar: erroneous, false, inaccurate, incorrect, inexact, invalid, off, unsound, untrue, untruthful, wrong
    related: counterfactual, specious, spurious, deceptive, delusive, delusory, distorted, fallacious, fictitious, illusory, misleading, amiss, askew, awry, deceitful, dishonest, fraudulent, lying, mendacious, unconfirmed, unproven, untested, fabricated, invented, made-up, trumped-up
    opposite: accurate, correct, errorless, exact, factual, precise, proper, right, sound, true, valid, veracious
    near: confirmed, demonstrated, established, proven, tested, faultless, flawless, impeccable, letter-perfect, perfect

  2. without warning

    "She was caught off base when she heard the knock at the door."

    similar: aback, suddenly, unanticipatedly, unaware, unawares, unexpectedly, all of a sudden
    related: abruptly, short, amazingly, astoundingly, surprisingly
    near: laggardly, leisurely, pokily, slowly, sluggishly, tardily, obviously

Related Entry: Touch base (with) (phrase)

Touch base (with) is a different word from Base. The synonyms below are for touch base (with), not for base.

  1. to transmit information or requests to

    "Submit your résumé online and someone will touch base with you within a week."

    similar: address, communicate (with), contact, get, reach, get hold of, get in touch with
    related: get through (to), acquaint, advise, apprise, brief, clue, enlighten, familiarize, fill in, inform, instruct, notify, tell, wise (up), buzz, call, phone, ring (up) (chiefly British), telephone, keep up (with)

Related Entry: Air base (noun)

Air base is a different word from Base. The synonyms below are for air base, not for base.

  1. as in heliport, helipad

    similar: air park, helipad, heliport, jetport, aerodrome (chiefly British), airdrome, airfield, airport, field, airstrip, landing field, landing strip, runway, launchpad, pad

Related Entry: First base (noun)

First base is a different word from Base. The synonyms below are for first base, not for base.

  1. as in ground zero, drawing board

    similar: drawing board, ground zero, square one, alpha, baseline, beginning, birth, commencement, dawn, day one, genesis, get-go, inception, incipience, incipiency, kickoff, launch, morning, nascence, nascency, onset, outset, start, threshold, creation, founding, inauguration, initiation, institution, origination, cradle, fountain, fountainhead, germ, origin, root, seedbed, source, spring, well, wellspring, dawning, opening, advent, appearance, arrival, debut, emergence, childhood, infancy, youth
    opposite: close, conclusion, end, ending, omega, cessation, closing, closure, completion, finale, finish, period, stop, termination, windup

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Base

The most common words with a similar meaning to Base:

ground, hang, predicate, rest, basis, bedrock, bottom, cornerstone, footing, foundation, groundwork, keystone, root, underpinning, warp, warp and woof, bridgehead, foothold, axis, capital, center, central, core, cynosure, epicenter, eye, focus, ground zero, heart, hub, locus, mecca, navel, nerve center, nexus, nucleus, omphalos, seat, basement, foot

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Base

Words with the opposite meaning of Base:

head, top, vertex, high, high-minded, honorable, lofty, noble, straight, upright, venerable, virtuous

Related Words for Base

establish, found, assume, postulate, premise, presume, presuppose, suppose, anchorage, bed, brace, bulwark, buttress, framework, infrastructure, mount, prop, shore, stay, substratum, substructure, support, assumption, justification, presumption, presupposition, rationale, supposition, theory, thesis

Near Antonyms of Base

acme, apex, climax, crest, culmination, height, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, tip, tip-top, zenith, ethical, honest, just, principled, righteous, right-minded, scrupulous, commendable, excellent, exemplary, good, moral, right, decent, proper, reputable, respectable

Word Forms of Base

Inflections: bases, based, basing

Derived words: baseless (adjective), basely (adverb), baseness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Base

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin basis, from Greek, step, base, from bainein to go come

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Base

Words & Phrases Containing Base

bases, base angle, base exchange, base hit, BASE jumping, base on balls

Frequently Asked Questions about Base

What does "Base" mean?

"Base" means the bottom of something considered as its support, foundation. As an a noun, a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: the bottom of something considered as its support, foundation. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Base"?

Other words for "Base" include ground, hang, predicate, rest, basis, bedrock, bottom and cornerstone. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Base" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Base"?

There are 183 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Base". Common alternatives include ground, hang, predicate, rest, basis, bedrock, bottom, cornerstone, footing and foundation.

What is the opposite of "Base"?

Antonyms of "Base" include head, top, vertex, high, high-minded, honorable, lofty and noble. Near antonyms include acme, apex, climax and crest.

How do you use "Base" in a sentence?

Examples of "Base" in a sentence: "she based her argument on careful research"; "the firm belief that complete trust between partners is the base of any successful marriage"; "the army's base of attack was kept top secret until the battle began".

Is "Base" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Base" can be used as a noun, a verb and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Base" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C2-level word, "Base" is typical of Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE), IELTS band 8.5–9.0, TOEFL iBT 114–120, PTE Academic 85–90. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Base"?

"Base" is pronounced /ˈbās/.