first-year

noun

ˈfərst-ˌyir 

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

Examples of first-year in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The first-year Jayhawks guard is expected to contend for being No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. —Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2025

Like Almada, Gooden was a first-year junior at Tabor. —Danny Ventura, Boston Herald, 10 July 2025

The pact turned out to be a bargain, as LeMahieu set career-highs with 26 home runs and 102 RBI while hitting .327 as a first-year Yankee. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 10 July 2025

Idaho, which has first-year head coach Thomas Ford Jr. trying to continue the success of Jason Eck, will be vying for its fourth straight berth in the FCS playoffs. —Rachel Roberts july 9, Idaho Statesman, 9 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for first-year

• atmosphere
• biosphere
• centromere
• chemosphere
• chromosphere
• hemisphere
• hydrosphere
• lithosphere
• mesosphere
• microsphere
• miserere
• mountaineer