as in foundation
an immaterial thing upon which something else rests
the sole basis for the rumor is someone's overactive imagination
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Recent Examples of basis
Notably, per its website, HPE recommends charging $600 per CPU socket per year for VM Essentials; Broadcom has controversially shifted vSphere licensing pricing to a per-core basis.
—
Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 16 June 2026
The Daily Bugle isn’t the only newspaper that’ll give you a fill of Spider-Man on a regular basis.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 June 2026
Maton proceeded to hit lefty pinch-hitter Troy Johnston with two strikes, then walked Cole Carrigg with the bases loaded to tie the game.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
Greece — having received bailout loans in 2010 and 2012, so there was a basis for this joke — defaulted on a third bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund in 2015.
—Dan Snierson, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for basis
Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 16 June 2026
The Daily Bugle isn’t the only newspaper that’ll give you a fill of Spider-Man on a regular basis.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 June 2026
Maton proceeded to hit lefty pinch-hitter Troy Johnston with two strikes, then walked Cole Carrigg with the bases loaded to tie the game.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
Greece — having received bailout loans in 2010 and 2012, so there was a basis for this joke — defaulted on a third bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund in 2015.
—Dan Snierson, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for basis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for basis
Noun
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That challenge became the foundation of the season.—
Precious Fondren,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
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Football and fútbol are built on different foundations, both as sports and as businesses.—
Zachary Hansen,
AJC.com,
19 June 2026
Noun
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Hirsch is also the founder and owner of comedy club Carolines on Broadway, a cornerstone of the comedy world for more than four decades.—
William Earl,
Variety,
17 June 2026
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Originally envisioned as a franchise cornerstone who could lock down the middle of the Giants order for years to come, Devers’ time in San Francisco has not lived up to expectations.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
16 June 2026
Noun
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The weathering of bedrock depends, in part, on temperature.—
Scott K. Johnson,
ArsTechnica,
15 June 2026
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But far from celebrating or sanctifying the throwing off of English rule, the story’s shocking ending portrays the patriots as a fiendish mob, and casts doubt on the bedrock American faith in prosperity.—
John Swansburg,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2026
Noun
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Maybe that’s true, but effective art needs no justification.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
18 June 2026
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This is the justification for killing people, which, by the way, does not sound that different from the justifications governments offer for violating people’s human rights.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Basis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basis. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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