number one

1 of 2

noun

plural number ones
1
a
: one's own interests or welfare : oneself
It's time to take care of number one
often written No. 1
Looking out for No. 1 is not a selfish thing when it comes to rescuing someone, area firefighters learned.Cathy Spaulding
b
: one that is first in rank, importance, or influence
Who's number one in this office?
Madonna has just made a big announcement. The "Material Girl" … will release not one, but two new collections. One will feature 50 number ones with the other being a 16-track version of the album.Edward Pevos
often written No. 1
The Texas Tech men's golf team, which has finished among the top three in each of its three tournaments this season, is No. 1 in the GolfStat ranking that was released Wednesday.Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal (online)
2
informal : liquid waste from the body : urine
used euphemistically
When astronauts go number one, a slight vacuum in the toilet pulls urine into a low-pressure chamber, which forces the water to evaporate.Kaitlin Sullivan
compare number two

number one

2 of 2

adjective

1
: first in rank, importance, or influence : foremost
cancer is the country's number one killer
often written No. 1
2
: of highest or of high quality

Examples of number one in a Sentence

Noun Who's number one in this office? Getting the car fixed is number one on my list of priorities. I'll tell you why we can't go on a vacation: number one, we can't afford it, and number two, we'll miss my sister's party. Her movie is currently number one at the box office. When the goal was scored, the fans started to chant, “We're number one, we're number one.” I've been taking care of other people for too long. It's time for me to take care of number one. Adjective The book is the company's number one seller. Rule number one is don't get caught! He's public enemy number one: the nation's most wanted criminal. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But the basics are, number one, do your homework and find out who’s who, because there are some very charming crooks. Jem Aswad, Variety, 5 Dec. 2023 What is your number one piece of advice for a nervous flyer? Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Dec. 2023 Despite inflation being lower in Asia compared to other regions, in addition to Singapore at number one, another Asian city made it to the top 10: Hong Kong, which secured the fifth spot. Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 Museum-goers can see the white suit James wore at the 2003 NBA Draft, during which the Cleveland Cavaliers selected James as the number one overall pick. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Nov. 2023 And Latin music has remained a force on streaming — so much that 2023 seems to be the biggest year for number one Latin hits on Spotify. Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 29 Nov. 2023 In 2021, Buffett called poor management the number one threat to a company. Jane Thier, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2023 But her extraordinary intelligence earned her the maximum score of 921, number one in the entire nation, in the Enlace test, Mexico’s version of the SAT. Tommy Calle, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023 Just be sure of your shooting lanes, and make safety the number one priority. Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Our number one priority is just to get the behavior of these companies to change. Donna St. George, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Mar. 2023 Talked about number one in the country a year ago and some of our championships. Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 15 Mar. 2023 And North Carolina, last year's runner up and this year's preseason number one, missed out entirely. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2023 The question will be, number one is, what are the excesses beyond the insured amounts and the ability to deal with those and the companies, in terms of meeting payrolls? Nbc Universal, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2023 Depositors and workers in the companies whose deposits are in that bank need to be job number one. CBS News, 12 Mar. 2023 The city's even earned the rating of number one most stressful for workers in the U.S., according to a recent report. Michael Murney, Chron, 8 Mar. 2023 The number one priority in those situations is the health of the player. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2023 The Moon in your lucky 5th house is making FUN your number one priority, but when Luna coordinates with luxe Venus in your materialistic 2nd house, all your fun may require a lot more funds than anticipated. Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'number one.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1705, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of number one was in 1705

Dictionary Entries Near number one

Cite this Entry

“Number one.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/number%20one. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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