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

Examples of first-year in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In May 2025, Newsom slashed the state’s first-year commitment to the newsroom-subsidy program from $30 million to $10 million, citing budget constraints. Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026 Texas, which is 12th place in the SEC standings being picked to place ninth in the preseason poll, has been solid under first-year coach Sean Miller. Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026 Swift is a first-year ballot inductee. Cathy Applefeld Olson, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026 Derek Borsody, a first-year medical student at UC, remains unconscious, unresponsive and in intensive care months after a balcony fell about 20 feet from a Stetson Street condominium, hospitalizing 10 people, according to a recent lawsuit filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for first-year

Word History

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of first-year was in 1986

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Cite this Entry

“First-year.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first-year. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.

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