How to Use number one in a Sentence

number one

1 of 2 noun
  • Who's number one in this office?
  • Her movie is currently number one at the box office.
  • Getting the car fixed is number one on my list of priorities.
  • I've been taking care of other people for too long. It's time for me to take care of number one.
  • I'll tell you why we can't go on a vacation: number one, we can't afford it, and number two, we'll miss my sister's party.
  • To give a singer the platform to sing and be themselves is the number one goal.
    Joe Lynch, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2023
  • The number one guess in the comments section was Travis Kelce.
    Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2024
  • Lauren Goode: So is this the number one condiment or spice for you in all of 2023?
    Michael Calore, WIRED, 21 Dec. 2023
  • Swift’s holding up a number one, but what about Antonoff?
    Vulture, 23 Oct. 2023
  • The kids are now safe, which is the number one priority.
    David Chiu, Peoplemag, 4 Sep. 2023
  • Heart disease is the number one killer in the US and accounts for about a third of deaths globally.
    Madison Muller, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2023
  • As her kid and as her number one fan, the album feels like jumping into the pool on a hot day.
    Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2023
  • Billboard did a thing about the 100 biggest moments of EDM, and the number one was Tim’s career.
    Katie Bain, Billboard, 13 Sep. 2023
  • Our military is still far and away the number one military in the world.
    ABC News, 17 Sep. 2023
  • And in the current Names.org predictions, both are number one.
    oregonlive, 28 Apr. 2023
  • The actress held a lit candle in the shape of a number one in front of her baby girl as Agruma clasped Royce’s hand.
    Jenny Haward, Peoplemag, 5 Nov. 2023
  • It was also deemed the third most livable city in the same study that named Vienna as number one.
    Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 19 Nov. 2023
  • So yeah, that won a slutty Grammy and a slutty number one.
    Steve Baltin, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023
  • The first time ever where no number one, number two, or number three seed made it to the Final Four.
    Nbc Universal, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2023
  • What is your number one piece of advice for a nervous flyer?
    Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Dec. 2023
  • In Chicago, the number one city in the list, more than 30% of people looking for homes are looking in the Birmingham area.
    Heather Gann | Hgann@al.com, al, 30 Mar. 2023
  • Why decide to not have the number one new restaurant in America?
    Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Sep. 2023
  • Only time will tell if the Swifties can create enough joyful chaos to give her a tenth number one single.
    Vulture, 18 Oct. 2023
  • The number one concession the union wants to end is a lower tier of wages and benefits for workers hired since 2007.
    Chris Isidore, CNN, 14 Sep. 2023
  • The Oprah Winfrey Show was number one for 25 years, and everybody came after me.
    Essence, 12 Dec. 2023
  • But the basics are, number one, do your homework and find out who’s who, because there are some very charming crooks.
    Jem Aswad, Variety, 5 Dec. 2023
  • So number one, football is the biggest sport across all African markets by a country mile.
    Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2024
  • But the more winning winner between the two — the number one movie in North America — is Warner Bros.
    J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 22 July 2023
  • Rebel Wilson's daughter Royce is her mom's number one fan.
    Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
  • The surreal nugget of feminist pop-punk went to number one on the radio charts in Colombia.
    Beverly Bryan, SPIN, 14 Mar. 2024
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number one

2 of 2 adjective
  • Rule number one is don't get caught!
  • The book is the company's number one seller.
  • He's public enemy number one: the nation's most wanted criminal.
  • That’s the number one thought going through our heads at all times.
    Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 30 Aug. 2022
  • As far as our football team, that’s the focus, the number one thing.
    al, 21 July 2022
  • This is the number one best selling oil out there in the market right now.
    Essence, 7 Dec. 2022
  • My number one goal is to listen and learn and talk to the membership.
    Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2022
  • My number one focus as the chair of the DSCC was to bring incumbents back.
    Eric Cortellessa, Time, 22 Nov. 2022
  • This happens to be number one, the very first public one.
    Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 5 Sep. 2022
  • Most weeks at number one for any player in the history of the tour.
    Carol Memmott, Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2022
  • Plus this lovely weirdo spent four weeks at the number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
    Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 11 Aug. 2022
  • Flash point number one are the consequences of elections here, the midterms.
    CBS News, 19 Oct. 2022
  • Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is the number one cause of death in the Cincinnati region.
    Cincinnati Enquirer, The Enquirer, 6 Oct. 2022
  • The number one must-have for me this season is their oversized oxford shirt in sky blue.
    Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2022
  • The number one source of the best hires is employee referrals.
    Quora, Forbes, 6 May 2022
  • So talent of all types and IP, which is similar to us, is number one.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Apr. 2022
  • That record because the rapper’s first release to hit number one on the Billboard Charts.
    Kat Bouza, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2022
  • The number one thing that can keep you from the I-don't-need-makeup type of complexion is uneven skin tone.
    Janell M. Hickman, SELF, 27 July 2022
  • The number one cause of death among young people is gun violence.
    Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Dec. 2022
  • The economy is still the number one issue in voters' minds.
    NBC News, 3 July 2022
  • If having a bench that is three deep in each area is a luxury, see number one.
    Kimberly Osborne, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2022
  • So number one, get a lay of the land; understand the county, state and local taxes.
    CBS News, 29 Apr. 2022
  • Melbourne—joint 10th—this city that has 'four seasons in one day', has been number one, seven years in a row.
    Alex Ledsom, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022
  • In the first photoshoot, Romeo sat in front of balloons and a number one sign, smiling in a gray and white outfit with a blue beret.
    Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE.com, 1 Aug. 2022
  • But number one is making sure that our students are OK.
    Rachel Fradette, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Jan. 2023
  • Karla, Cassidy, and I all believed that James was our number one from day one.
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 14 Oct. 2022
  • These folks are quite easily amused and have a deep desire to be number one or to finish first.
    Glamour, 31 May 2022
  • The album rapidly shot to number one in Italy and briefly made the global top ten list on Spotify.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 24 June 2022
  • Of all the fragrance questions I'm asked, the number one is, What is a great inexpensive perfume to buy?
    ELLE, 27 Feb. 2023
  • Hull number one will split time its time between the Med and the Caribbean, while the second hull is set to be a world explorer.
    Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'number one.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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