get to first base

Idioms

Also, reach first base.
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]
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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“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

The main hook was that batters would have to use the donkey to get to first base.

From Washington Post • Aug. 14, 2021

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

After the game, Manager Terry Collins said second baseman Justin Turner had simply failed to get to first base in time.

From New York Times • Aug. 31, 2011

I haven't been able to get to first base.

From Hex by Janifer, Laurence M.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023