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

Third baseman Max Muncy exited in the fifth inning after a collision at first base, and Santiago Espinal replaced him. —Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026

Corbin Carroll bounced Ohtani’s next pitch to second baseman Alex Freeland, who started a 4-6-3 double play, Mookie Betts’ throw just beating the speedy Carroll to first base. —Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 4 June 2026

Troy Johnston, who started at first base, got the Rockies on the board in the fourth with an RBI single to drive in Hunter Goodman. —Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 4 June 2026

Gunnar Henderson grounded out to first base, but appeared to get his foot on the bag before Samaniego. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 3 June 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