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

Jeff McNeil got them both home on a triple hit just high enough to evade a leaping Freddie Freeman at first base. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025

After Machado led off the ninth with a home run, Alex Verdugo led off the bottom of the inning with a single before being replaced at first base by White. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2025

Kristian Campbell began taking grounders at first base. —Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025

With both Triston Casas and Romy Gonzalez out injured, the Red Sox have struggled to get by with little to no depth at first base. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 22 May 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