first base

noun

1

: the base that must be touched first by a base runner in baseball

2

: the player position for defending the area around first base

3

: the first step or stage in a course of action

plans never got to first base

first baseman

-ˈbā-smən 

noun

Examples of first base in a Sentence

a runner on first base

She hit a ground ball to first base.

He used to be a catcher, but now he plays first base.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Marlins got two runners beyond first base in the first three innings before Stowers homered on McLean’s third pitch in the fourth. — Miami Herald, 31 July 2026

Devers-San Francisco Giants-Age 29 A natural third baseman, and not a stellar one at that, Devers was converted to play first base when he was traded by the Red Sox to the Giants. — Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026

Wyatt Langford doubled in Alejandro Osuna from first base to put Texas in front in the fifth before DeLuca hit a 415-foot homer to left field in the sixth to tie the game. — ABC News, 30 July 2026

Schmitt injured himself in the bottom of the second inning after rounding first base on a bloop single to right field, then quickly planting his feet into the dirt to stop his momentum. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for first base

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase

Kids Definition

first base

noun

: the base that must be touched first by a base runner in baseball

also : the position of the player defending the area around first base