variants
also No. 1
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
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
See All Example Sentences for number one
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
See All Example Sentences for number one
Recent Examples of Synonyms for number one
Adjective
-
Demonstrators flocked to protests around the country to march, stand in crowds or line main streets.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Sirens alerted people to seek shelter in and around Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beer Sheba and areas near the country’s main nuclear research center, which were targeted by Iranian strikes that injured dozens last weekend.—
Farnoush Amiri,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Apple has somehow emerged from the global hardware shortage as a value buy, with its MacBook Neo offering an excellent modern computing experience for a mere $600.—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Harbor locals should boast that one of the county’s singularly excellent pizzerias is in their backyard.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But simply naming the great fear and sharing it with the millions of watchers in living rooms and hotels and airport lobbies was a trial almost too painful to contemplate.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
No substitutions for prize except by Sponsor, in which case a prize of equal or greater value will be substituted.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The teams got invaluable data — and some wonderful video too.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Books Are Magic, a wonderful bookshop owned by novelist Emma Staub, alone could suck up an entire morning.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Even the more politically active class of nonprofits — 501(c)(4) groups, like the relatively new American Hunters and Anglers — can’t make political activity its primary activity.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Last year, six people ran for Sacramento mayor and no one got more than 30% of the vote during the primary election.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a terrific movie buried in a two-and-a-half-hour runtime — which cost him a competition slot at Venice.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Both Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm scored two goals apiece and Jeremy Swayman made 31 saves for a terrific win.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
First, the predominant previous assessment of many pundits that Gulf states’ collective large investments in defense were prestige driven — as opposed to a necessity — has fallen flat on its face.—
Faisal J. Abbas,
semafor.com,
27 Mar. 2026
-
But on the Facebook Just in Time Broadway fan group, which has 7,700 members and seems to be the locus of Groffie fandom, the predominant tone is warm, almost giddy.—
Alexandra Starr,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Disciples of Soul were awesome; great horns and backup singers.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The mentality, the approaches, have all been awesome.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Number one.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/number%20one. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
