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.
After the Knicks had already demoralized the Sixers three times too many, there was still time on the clock for one more haymaker, one more seismic punch to put Philadelphia, already on the ropes far sooner than its fan base had anticipated, out for good. Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026 Ujiri’s hiring comes nearly six months after the Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison, who was dismissed after the Luka Dončić trade roiled the team’s fan base and dropped the Mavericks from contender status to one of the worst teams in the NBA. Christian Clark, New York Times, 4 May 2026 With the Streamliner Pump, the house may just score a whole new fan base—one squeeze at a time. Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 2 May 2026 The passion is what makes the Bruin fan base one of the best in sports. Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026 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 8 May. 2026.

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