variants:
or first year
plural first-years or first years
Definition of first-year
: 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
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Name that Thing: Flower Edition
-
- Name that flower

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Spell words. Make bears.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share first-year
Time Traveler for first-year
The first known use of first-year was in 1986
See more words from the same year