first base

noun

1

: the base that must be touched first by a base runner in baseball

a runner on first base

2

: the player position for defending the area around first base

hit a ground ball to first base

3

: the first step or stage in a course of action

Plans never got to first base.

4

slang : amorous light touching or kissing

Unless the game has changed since I was a girl, first base was kissing …

—Abigail Van Buren

—usually used in phrases like get to first base or reach first base

"It's true!" Pamela said. "If they talk about getting to first base, it means they held hands with their girl. …"

—Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

compare home base sense 3, second base sense 3, third base sense 3

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

Witt bobbled a groundball as Jo Adell reached first base to begin the frame. — Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026

Royce Lewis hit a tying, two-run single in the second inning, and Ryan Kreidler brought home the go-ahead run with a safety squeeze bunt that turned into a single when nobody covered first base. — ABC News, 25 Sep. 2026

But Merkle, on first base, went to the clubhouse without touching second base, and the Cubs recovered the ball and got a belated force-out at second. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

Lucas contacted Cox, then the Yankees’ first base coach, and Cox visited Atlanta incognito to discuss joining the Braves. — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 20 Sep. 2026

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