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

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above