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
  • In the Brazilian city of Cuiabá, the mayor, Abílio Brunini, prohibited one such championship from taking place in the city’s main public space.
    — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Next, workers will install new cables, bolted into the five main branches, to stabilize the tree before removing the old supports.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of main
Adjective
  • Simashev is excellent defensively and on retrievals and tilts the ice in his favor.
    — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • As far as pop stars who happen to also be thoughtful and excellent songwriters go, Kahan is in the upper ranks.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of excellent
Adjective
  • That becomes particularly important when organizations rely on pop-up conversations and informal check-ins as their primary means of staying aligned.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The vast majority of girls are enrolled in primary education, at a rate higher than for boys.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of primary
Adjective
  • Rivera-Vega is suspected of setting the fire and also had been charged with arson causing great bodiliy injury before the woman died.
    — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Starting the election calendar in South Carolina is intended in part to give Black voters a greater voice at the outset of the nominating process.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of great
Adjective
  • As long as the predominant globe-spanning Navy kept the seas free for everyone, there was no reason to be affiliated with any state.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The Odyssey is a story set in the Bronze Age, written in the Iron Age, measured by which metal was the predominant metal that went into weapons of war and other kinds of tools.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
Definition of predominant
Adjective
  • There’s this wonderful character in the book, Lucky’s childhood friend [Steph].
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Toronto is a wonderful city, and this will be a Saturday night game featuring Sidney Crosby in the place for hockey.
    — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of wonderful
Adjective
  • Jeff Nichols is not only one of cinema’s foremost chroniclers of the American South, but is doing his damnedest to revitalize the film scene in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Similarly, the world’s foremost perfumeries haven’t collaborated with elite motorcar brands.
    — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of foremost
Adjective
  • With the ups and downs of that season under his belt and Cam Coleman catching his passes, Manning should be terrific.
    — Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Jamal Murray, Jokic, Gordon and Johnson are terrific — when healthy.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 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 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All