first base

American  

noun

• first bases
  plural

1. Baseball.

   1. the first in counterclockwise order of the bases from home plate.

   2. the position of the player covering the area of the infield near first base.

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idioms

1. get to first base,

   1. to succeed in the initial phase of a plan or undertaking.

      His suggestions for labor-saving techniques never got to first base.

   2. to engage in petting that goes no further than kissing.

first base British  

noun

1. baseball

   1. the base that a runner must reach safely to score a hit, and the first of the three bases he must reach safely on the way to home plate in order to score a run

   2. the fielding position nearest this base

2. informal to accomplish the first step of an undertaking

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• first bases
  plural

Etymology

Origin of first base

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

first base

Kelly picked off Edman at first base, but Hunter Feduccia followed with a single of his own, the catcher’s first hit since rejoining the Dodgers at the trade deadline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Arraez came up as a second baseman, but over time, his poor performance there shifted him over to the less-demanding first base position.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

A broken-bat grounder to the right side of the infield, hunted down by Freeman ranging to his backhand side from first base, ended the inning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

With the would-be tying run standing on first base and one out, Scott crashed hard on Geraldo Perdomo’s sacrifice bunt and zipped a throw across the diamond just in time for the out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

Cala is at first base, but she jogs over.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone