first-year
noun
variants
or first year
plural first-years or first years
: a student in the first year (as at a high school or college) : a first-year student
Experts say fledgling first-years can expect to experience the thrill of autonomy, of being in the driver's seat for what may be the first time ever.—
Jan McCoy Ebbets
Jan McCoy EbbetsExamples of first-year in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The first-year Seattle quarterback threw three touchdown passes in a span of four minutes, 18 seconds in the second quarter for a 28-0 lead.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
While the offense continues to perform at a high level with veteran quarterback Joe Flacco leading the way as Joe Burrow rehabs his toe injury, the defense has been setting historically poor marks under first-year defensive coordinator Al Golden.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2025
That activist bent first brought Mamdani widespread attention in October 2021, when the first-year lawmaker joined a 45-day protest by taxi drivers for debt relief in front of New York City Hall.
—Ben Adler, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
One recalled that the mom of an Ole Miss first-year stayed in the family’s new campus-adjacent apartment last fall to provide logistical and moral support during sorority rush, lending her daughter a hand in fixing hair or nursing a hangover.
—Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for first-year
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.
The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
While the offense continues to perform at a high level with veteran quarterback Joe Flacco leading the way as Joe Burrow rehabs his toe injury, the defense has been setting historically poor marks under first-year defensive coordinator Al Golden.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2025
That activist bent first brought Mamdani widespread attention in October 2021, when the first-year lawmaker joined a 45-day protest by taxi drivers for debt relief in front of New York City Hall.
—Ben Adler, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
One recalled that the mom of an Ole Miss first-year stayed in the family’s new campus-adjacent apartment last fall to provide logistical and moral support during sorority rush, lending her daughter a hand in fixing hair or nursing a hangover.
—Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for first-year
Cite this Entry
“First-year.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first-year. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share