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# number one

noun phrase (number one, number ones); also adjective (number-one) and informal pronoun use (look after number one)

«number one» in the English dictionary: in the primary school — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## In the primary school

Source: Mova's pupils' dictionary. Licence: [Elamur Cosmic License](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/LICENSE/). Reviewed: the dictionary the pupils of Mova's primary school read; its examples quote the lessons and public-domain tales. Ships with Mova.

### Meaning

1. (literal) the number 1; first in a list or ranking.
2. (euphemism, children's talk) a wee; urinating.
3. (informal) yourself, as in «look after number one».
4. (informal) the best, the most important (the number-one player, a number-one hit).

### In the lessons

Children, parents and nurses use «number one» for urinating to talk about the toilet politely; it is everywhere else used for «first» or «best». Everyday register, all English-speaking countries; the toilet sense is mostly children's talk.

### Examples

- Question number one is the easiest.
- Mum, I need a number one!
- Is it a number one or a number two?
- The song went to number one.
- She is the number-one tennis player in the world.
- Safety is our number-one priority.
- He only cares about number one.
- Number one plus number two makes three.

### Note

In maths and lists it just means 1 or first. The toilet sense only appears in talk about bathrooms. «Look after number one» = think only of yourself. Plain words for the toilet sense: wee, pee, urinate.