on a first-name basis

idiom

: having a close personal relationship where each person addresses the other by their first name

He was on a first-name basis with his boss.

They know most of the officials on a first-name basis.

—sometimes used figuratively to describe something that one is familiar with or accustomed to

She was on a first-name basis with adversity.

Examples of on a first-name basis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Awakening in the Shoshone camp, Isaac seems to be on a first-name basis with Sleeping Deer (Harrison Lowe), whose medicine has brought him back from the brink of death, and other members of the tribe. —

Keith Phipps, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025 By then, Brown was on a first-name basis with both prosecutors. —

Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025 Kaplan teaches yoga on Saturdays and is on a first-name basis with the cashier at her local grocery store. —

Aria Bendix, NBC News, 22 Dec. 2024 Tom Girardi was on a first-name basis with senators from California to North Carolina. —

Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for on a first-name basis

Dictionary Entries Near on a first-name basis

on a first-come, first-served basis

on a first-name basis

on a friendly basis

See More Nearby Entries

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“On a first-name basis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20a%20first-name%20basis. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

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