get to first base

Idioms  

1. Also, reach first base.

2. Succeed in the initial phase of something; meet with preliminary approval. For example, They were delighted that they'd gotten to first base in the negotiations . This term alludes to the first base of baseball, which is the first step toward scoring a run for the batter's team. [c. 1900]

3. Reach the initial stage of sexual intimacy, such as kissing. For example, Mary is so shy that I can't even get to first base with her . [1920s]

---

Example Sentences

“Guys that get to first base still go, ‘I cannot see the slider,’ and then he throws a 71-, 72-mph curveball,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2025

In the New York Mets’ game against the Marlins in Miami on Thursday, Jeff McNeil was waiting for his teammate, Pete Alonso, to get to first base after a walk.

From Washington Post • Mar. 30, 2023

“Say I just hit it dead on the screws, and by the time I get to first base it’s already gone,” Kapuscinski said.

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2020

He got into a bases-loaded jam because he didn’t get to first base in time to cover.

From Washington Post • Oct. 2, 2015

In a place like Avalon he wouldn't get to first base.

From Ultima Thule by Reynolds, Mack