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 baseMartha 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
It’s been a lot of fun to play in front of that crowd and that fan base and just the city itself with the whole history behind the city and the team. Chandler Rome, New York Times, 28 June 2025 Once the purview of a mostly European and mostly male fan base, Formula 1 racing, or F1, has become one of the chicest sports for women to follow, with a growing impact on fashion and culture. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 27 June 2025 Willard didn’t do anything to quell the fan base’s excitement. Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 25 June 2025 Mind you, those were also resets lobbied for by most of the Dolphins fan base. Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 25 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for fan base

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fan base was in 1974

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fan base.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fan%20base. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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