first-year
noun
variants
or first year
plural first-years or first years
: a student in the first year (as at a high school or college) : a first-year student
Experts say fledgling first-years can expect to experience the thrill of autonomy, of being in the driver's seat for what may be the first time ever.—
Jan McCoy Ebbets
Jan McCoy EbbetsExamples of first-year in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The University of Arkansas officially announced Tuesday the hirings of three key members of first-year football Coach Ryan Silverfield's staff.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 16 Dec. 2025
Nebraska is the only public FBS school to spend more on women’s volleyball than women’s basketball, and first-year head coach Dani Busboom Kelly earned a base salary of $700,000 this season.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 15 Dec. 2025
However, one of first-year head coach Kellen Moore’s trio of wins on the season did come against Carolina on the road.
—Charlotte Observer, 14 Dec. 2025
Mira Al-Agha, a first-year pharmacy student, said her motivation to resume her studies came from her belief that education is the only sustainable path forward.
—Diaa Ostaz, ABC News, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for first-year
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 16 Dec. 2025
Nebraska is the only public FBS school to spend more on women’s volleyball than women’s basketball, and first-year head coach Dani Busboom Kelly earned a base salary of $700,000 this season.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 15 Dec. 2025
However, one of first-year head coach Kellen Moore’s trio of wins on the season did come against Carolina on the road.
—Charlotte Observer, 14 Dec. 2025
Mira Al-Agha, a first-year pharmacy student, said her motivation to resume her studies came from her belief that education is the only sustainable path forward.
—Diaa Ostaz, ABC News, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for first-year
Cite this Entry
“First-year.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first-year. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share