number one

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Adjective

number one (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) First; foremost; best, often used after its headword.

   Commuting to work is the number one reason to own a car.

   He is my enemy number one.

Translations

first, foremost, best

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 頭號／头号 (tau⁴ hou⁶), 头号 (tau⁴ hou⁶)

  Mandarin: 頭號／头号 (zh) (tóuhào), 头号 (zh) (tóuhào)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: tärkein (fi), suurin (fi), ykkös- (fi); numero yksi (only after headword)
• Vietnamese: số một (vi)

Noun

number one (plural number ones)

1. The most important person, the one who is in charge.
2. Someone who is top of a ranking, who is ranked first.
   • 2011 July 3, Piers Newbury, “Wimbledon 2011: Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal in final”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     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.

3. Oneself, being considered foremost, as by an egoist.
   • (Can we date this quote?), Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers

     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!

4. (childish, euphemistic) Urine; urination.
5. (music) The single that has sold the most in a given period.
6. (soccer) The main goalkeeper of a team, so-called because they wear the number 1 on the back of their kit.
   • 2011 January 5, Jonathan Stevenson, “Arsenal 0 - 0 Man City”, in BBC‎^[2]:

     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.

7. (cricket) The batsman who opens the batting.
8. A first lieutenant.
9. (theater) A large town where theatrical performances may expect to achieve success.
10. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see number,‎ one.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• Christmas number one
• do a number one

• look out for number one
• number one with a bullet

Translations

someone who is in charge

• Japanese: ナンバーワン (nanbā wan)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: гла́вный (ru) m (glávnyj), ста́рший (ru) m (stáršij)

top-ranking person

• French: numéro un (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: гла́вный (ru) (glávnyj), гла́вное лицо́ n (glávnoje licó)

urine or urination euphemism

• Dutch: ("small errand") kleine boodschap
• Finnish: pieni hätä
• French: ("small errand") petite commission (fr)
• Greek: ψιλό (el) n (psiló)
• Hindi: पेशाब (hi) m (peśāb), मूत (hi) m (mūt), मूत्र (hi) m (mūtra)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 小 (ja) (shō)
• Lithuanian: mažas reikalas m
• Portuguese: número um (pt) m
• Russian: ма́лое де́ло n (máloje délo), ма́лая нужда́ f (málaja nuždá)

• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} numărul unu n
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Tok Pisin: ^{(please verify)} namba wan

See also

• number two