fan base

noun

plural fan bases

: a group of fans for a particular sport, musical group, celebrity, book or film franchise, etc.

… the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks—the last two NBA champions—had fan bases spending the most money on team merchandise and gear.

—Corey Davis

Yet her three albums with the Epic label failed to earn her a popular audience, beyond country's traditional fan base …

—Martha A. Hostetter

But sales figures don't fully capture the fan base among shojo readers, who can whip through a volume in half an hour in a bookstore and often pass along copies to friends.

—Sarah Glazer

The fervent passion of [Justin] Bieber's fan base almost obscured the rampant self-indulgence of his hour-and-a-half set.

—Ben Fisher

Examples of fan base in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Rangers start their season on Thursday in Philadelphia with a fan base not sure if hoping is the best course of action, or resorting to their previous ways of zero expectations is the wise decision. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2026

There were coaching changes, lottery seasons and long rebuilds that tested the patience of the fan base. —Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026

The reasons for the success, of course, go beyond the facilities and fan base and into what Brad, Tyler and the rest of the Illini staff have been able to do with a unique collection of players this season. —Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026

The composer John Kander blamed Minnelli’s fitful acting career on the appetites of her fan base. —Matt Weinstock, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fan base

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase