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

That leaves Ben Rice at first base for the Bronx Bombers, but Rice has also emerged as an option at catcher. —Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025

But with Michael Busch and Justin Turner manning first base, playing time might be hard for Santana to obtain. —Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025

Padres shortstop Jose Iglesias fielded the ball but had no play as Henderson reached first base. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Tyler Soderstrom started at first base in his place after playing there when Kurtz left Friday’s contest. —Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2025

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