number one

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR number one ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

oneself, especially one's own well-being or interests: to look out for number one.

a person, company, etc., that is first in rank, order, or prestige: Our team is number one.

urination: used especially by or with reference to children.

adjective

of the highest in quality, status, importance, etc.; first-rate: a number one performance.

first in rank, order, or prestige: the number one book on the bestseller list.

RELATED WORDS

winner, champion, hero, leader, master

Nearby words

number crunching, number eight wire, number is up, one's, number line, number off, number one, number one wood, number opera, number seven iron, number sign, number ten

Idioms

make/do/go number one, Informal. to urinate: used especially by or with reference to children.

Origin of number one

First recorded in 1830–40

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for number one

The musical promise of eternal youth sold to the tune of 5.5 million copies and five number-one singles.
‘Prism’ Review: Katy Perry Perfects the Pop Blockbuster|Kevin Fallon|October 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But after logging her eighth number-one single, Katy Perry might be the biggest pop star of her time.
Katy Perry Is Pop Music's Biggest Star|Kevin Fallon|September 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
My husband in my number-one priority and I his; why would we want to change this so we can be slaves to a child?
Why I Choose to Be Child-Free: Readers Share Their Stories|Harry Siegel|February 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But the number-one thing rats want to be around is people, people who drop garbage on the ground.
Hurricane Sandy Worsens N.Y. Rat Problem|Winston Ross|October 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The voting portion of the contest ended yesterday, and I swept the number-one spot.
My Big, Fat Photo Spoof|Nancy Upton|September 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Liu, the son of Kwong, followed him up-river and obtained a place in his household as pidgeon-cook, assistant to number-one cook.
Civilization|Ellen Newbold La Motte
Roger hurried along with Astro to the number-one boat and climbed inside.
Stand by for Mars!|Carey Rockwell
You ought to be mighty proud because all men think you are a number-one musher.
Smoke Bellew|Jack London
You've got thirty tons of fuel—you want to find the compression ratio of the number-one firing-tube chamber—so what do you do?
Stand by for Mars!|Carey Rockwell
Then from the bundle come strings of pearls, translucent jade of "number-one" quality, snuff-bottles fit for a museum.
Peking Dust|Ellen N. La Motte

British Dictionary definitions for number one

number one

noun

the first in a series or sequence

an informal phrase for oneself, myself to look after number one

informal the most important person; leader, chiefhe's number one in the organization

informal the bestselling pop record in any one week

euphemistic the act or an instance of urination

a haircut in which the hair is cut very close to the head with an electric shaver

adjective

first in importance, urgency, quality, etcnumber one priority

informal (of a pop record) having reached the top of the charts

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012