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

Or, the Giants may ask Devers to play first base, where left-handed hitting Dominic Smith is now the regular starter. —Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

Pivetta fielded a grounder and ran it to first base for the second out in the third inning and then ran to first base and grabbed a ball that bounced off the bag for the third out. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 June 2025

However, things took another turn when Devers was asked by chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to play first base in the wake of Triston Casas' season-ending knee injury. —Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025

But when Tristan Casas injured his left knee and was lost for the season, Devers refused to move again to fill the gap at first base. —Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 16 June 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