number one
nounEtymology Piecewise doublet of numero uno.
10 senses
- 1The most important person, the one who is in charge.
- 2Someone who is top of a ranking, who is ranked first.
- 3Oneself, being considered foremost, as by an egoist.
- 4Urine; urination.
- 5The single that has sold the most in a given period.
- 6The main goalkeeper of a team, so-called because they…
- 7The batsman who opens the batting.
- 8A first lieutenant.
- 9A large town where theatrical performances may expect to…
- 10Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see number, one.
The most important person, the one who is in charge.
Someone who is top of a ranking, who is ranked first.
- The phone rings, in the middle of the night / My father yells "what you gonna do with your life" / Oh, daddy, dear, you know you're still number one / But girls, they wanna have fun / Oh, girls just wanna have...1979, Robert Hazard, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, in She's So Unusual, performed by Cyndi Lauper, published 1983:
- Djokovic came through 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3 to end Nadal's reign as Wimbledon champion, before overtaking the Spaniard as world number one on Monday.2011 July 3, Piers Newbury, “Wimbledon 2011: Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal in final”, in BBC Sport:
Oneself, being considered foremost, as by an egoist.
- No man should have more than two attachments—the first, to number one, and the second to the ladies; that's what I say—ha! ha!1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, “(please specify the chapter name)”, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC:
Childish, Euphemistic Urine; urination.
- He might have got up, without the bell's sounding, to do his number one, or number two, in his great big white chamber-pot.1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, [Paris]: Olympia Press, →OCLC:
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music The single that has sold the most in a given period.
Ball games, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Soccer, Sports The main goalkeeper of a team, so-called because they wear the number 1 on the back of their kit.
- England number one Hart produced a magnificent moment to deny Van Persie once more just after the hour mark, leaping across his goal to fingertip the Dutchman's crashing 25-yard, top corner-bound drive away.2011 January 5, Jonathan Stevenson, “Arsenal 0 - 0 Man City”, in BBC:
Ball games, Cricket, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports The batsman who opens the batting.
A first lieutenant.
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Theater A large town where theatrical performances may expect to achieve success.
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see number, one.
- Derived terms
- do number one, go number one, look out for number one, number one with a bullet, Christmas number one
- Coordinate terms
- number two, number three, and so on