base camp

noun

variants or less commonly basecamp

ˈbās-ˌkamp 

plural base camps also basecamps

: a place that serves as the starting point or staging area for an expedition or endeavor and that is usually equipped with shelter and supplies

… he set up a base camp, and went off to work in the mountains.

—John McPhee

I arrived at Denali's base camp, Kahiltna, on June 2. This is where I began my climb.

—Merrick Johnston

Making my base camp on a small island, I followed the pods … and collected dozens of tapes of their underwater vocal exchanges …

—John K. B. Ford

Southern California Edison is using the entire north parking lot as its basecamp to restore power to those in the affected areas.

—The Associated Press

Examples of base camp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While two of the three semifinalists had a base camp here, and international stars like Harry Kane, Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham lived in Kansas City, the biggest story arguably was what happened west of town. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2026

Two helicopters collided while attempting to land just below Mount Everest base camp in Nepal. — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026

The aircraft were ferrying trekkers who had been hiking up to Everest base camp during Nepal's popular trekking season. — CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026

The Mount Everest base camp trek lasts up to two weeks and goes from the only airstrip in the area at Lukla to base camp located at 5,300 meters (17,380 feet). — ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above