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.
Patience appeared to be running thin in all areas, from management to coach John Hynes to some of the fan base. Joe Smith, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025 Pandemonium is stirring throughout the lakeside city, and the fan base is undoubtedly hopeful of a big summer transfer window. David Ferrini, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025 After LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade joined forces in Miami for the 2010-11 season, Barkley suggested the Heat's fan base mostly consisted of fair-weather fans. Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025 But this year’s spree of TikTok clips has signaled a coming ripple in the long-distance relationship between her and her fan base. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 24 Apr. 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 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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