number one

adjective

variants also No. 1
Definition of number onenext
1
as in main
coming before all others in importance considers international terrorism to be the number one threat to national security

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excellent
of the very best kind the company's chocolate is rated as number one by serious chocoholics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of number one Talked about number one in the country a year ago and some of our championships. — Tom Green | [email protected], 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 Depositors and workers in the companies whose deposits are in that bank need to be job number one. — CBS News, 12 Mar. 2023 The number one priority in those situations is the health of the player. — Dalton Ross, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2023 See All Example Sentences for number one
Recent Examples of Synonyms for number one
  1. main
  2. excellent
  3. primary
  4. great
  5. predominant
  6. wonderful
  7. foremost
  8. terrific
Adjective
  • Rhodes owes Orton another lick after getting punted in the head following their WrestleMania 42 Night 1 main event brawl.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Spectrum’s second flight began with ignition of the rocket’s nine Aquila main engines, burning a mixture of propane and liquid oxygen propellants to generate more than 150,000 pounds (675 kilonewtons) of thrust.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of main
Adjective
  • Lampard felt his players deserved a point after creating several excellent chances.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Picturesque views of the surrounding Casco Bay are abundant, and its consistently excellent food scene has made the city a culinary hot spot for the ages.
    — Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of excellent
Adjective
  • The club prefers Taylor to serve as the primary organizational voice to relay its message — and to take the brunt of criticism.
    — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The charcoal floor tiling and island in the corner kitchen feel like something Rick Owens would have dreamed up, as are the primary bathroom’s concrete floors and shower stall.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of primary
Adjective
  • Countries with far smaller digital ecosystems, like Cambodia and Laos, have even greater struggles to attract and retain AI talent.
    — Brian Wong, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The tropical cyclone reached Category 5, defined by sustained winds of 157 mph or greater, overnight Friday before losing some of its steam and settling into Category 4’s limits of sustained winds of 130 to 156 mph by Saturday.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of great
Adjective
  • So the Fed's predominant focus right now should be on prices.
    — Scott Horsley, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Environmental samples collected from the market, specifically in areas where wildlife sales were predominant, contained SARS-CoV-2 genetic material.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of predominant
Adjective
  • The coast on this part of Tuscany is a little wild, but wonderful for swimming, and guests have access to the boat for excursions to nearby islands and morning swims off secret coves.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Gloria lived a full, wonderful life filled with friends and great conversations and worthy causes.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of wonderful
Adjective
  • Iran’s foremost vulnerability to sanctions and the blockade remains its persistent need for imports, which totaled $17 billion in the first five months of this Iranian calendar year beginning in March.
    — Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Asked about their firm’s primary hurdle in managing the current trade landscape, the vast majority (57 percent) said policy uncertainty, like tariffs changing with little notice, as their foremost challenge.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of foremost
Adjective
  • The front three of Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro already looks terrific, while Maxence Lacroix is an extremely solid defensive addition and Emi Martinez is an upgrade on Robert Sanchez in goal.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Buddy expands to 1,771 screens after a terrific opening last weekend.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrific

Browse Nearby Words

numberless
number one
numbers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Number one.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/number%20one. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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