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

McCraine remained in the game after remaining on the ground after sliding into first base. —Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026

Hudson Covington hit a ground ball to first base and a fielding error allowed Etnire to score. —Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 20 Mar. 2026

FanGraphs projects the minor league first base depth to be very thin. —Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026

Outside of Harper’s home run, no one ever made it past first base. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Mar. 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