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

His error on Andrés Giménez’s one-out grounder in the seventh inning with a runner on first base was a major blow. —The Athletic Mlb Staff, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025

Stott laid down a bunt, and only a perfect relay from third baseman Max Muncy to shortstop Mookie Betts covering first base retired the lead runner, Castellanos. —Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

Deyvison De Los Santos, acquired in the July 2024 AJ Puk trade with Arizona, at some point might get a chance to compete for the first base job. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025

Then, Austin Wells broke the game open after his sharply hit ball to first base resulted in a Nathaniel Lowe error that scored two runs. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 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