Touch Base | Meaning, Definition & Examples
To touch base means to briefly communicate with a person or a group of people such as a team of employees in order to stay in contact with them or check something.
It is an informal idiom that comes from the sport of baseball. It is often used in work and business contexts but is not generally used in formal or academic writing.
Have you got a minute to talk? I just wanted to touch base before the meeting later.
Let’s touch base about the arrangements again later in the week.
Touchbase or touch base
When you use the expression touch base as a verb, write “touch base” as two words.
A meeting in which the participants touch base with each other is sometimes referred to as a “touch-base” (usually written with a hyphen rather than as one word). This usage as a noun is not very common so you won’t find it in the dictionary.
You can also call this type of meeting a “touch base meeting.”
- Lia wants to have a touch-base after lunch.
- Lia wants to touch base after lunch.
- Lia wants to touchbase after lunch.
Touching base
When the idiom “touch base” is used in the progressive tenses to describe actions that are in progress, the verb “touch” becomes “touching” (the present particle) but the noun “base” does not change its form.
Yes, I know. I was touching base with Christina yesterday, and she mentioned it. [Past progressive tense]
The verb “touch” can also be used in the gerund form with this expression.
I’ll find that out before touching base with her next week.
Touch base meeting
“Touch base” can be used as an adjective to describe a type of meeting.
A touch base meeting (or touch-base meeting) is a short meeting where a manager touches base with an employee or a team.
Frequently asked questions about touch base
- What is correct: touch base, touch bases, or touch basis?
-
The correct expression is “touch base”. It means “briefly talk with someone in order to stay in contact or check something.”
“Touch bases” is a mistake (the word “base” is always singular in this expression).
“Touch basis” is also a mistake (where someone wants to incorrectly use the plural of “base” and also misspells it).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure your writing is free of spelling mistakes.
- What does let’s touch base mean?
-
The phrase “let’s touch base” is used to suggest having a short conversation or meeting with a person in order to stay in contact about something (e.g., “Let’s touch base again in a few days when we have more information”).
The QuillBot Paraphrasing Tool can help you vary your vocabulary to express your intended meaning.
