base and foundation share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. base means “installation from which a military force initiates operations”. foundation means “the basis on which something is grounded”. base is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbeɪs/
1.n.installation from which a military force initiates operations
“the attack wiped out our forward bases”
2.n.lowest support of a structure
“it was built on a base of solid rock”
3.n.a place that the runner must touch before scoring
“he scrambled to get back to the bag”
/faʊnˈdeɪʃən/
1.n.the basis on which something is grounded
“there is little foundation for his objections”
2.n.an institution supported by an endowment
3.n.lowest support of a structure
“it was built on a base of solid rock”
| base | foundation | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbeɪs/ | /faʊnˈdeɪʃən/ |
| Said | bays | fown-DAY-shuhn |
| Syllables | 1 | 3 |
| Letters | 4 | 10 |
| Parts of speech | noun, adjective, verb | noun |
| Senses | 30 | 7 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | base of operations | none recorded |
Full entry for base · Full entry for foundation · More comparisons