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first Definition

first (fʉrst)

adjective

  1. preceding all others in a series; before any other; 1st
  2. happening or acting before all others; earliest
  3. ranking before all others; foremost in rank, quality, importance, etc.; principal
  4. designating the slowest forward gear ratio of a motor vehicle transmission; low ()
  5. Music playing or singing the part highest in pitch or the leading part

Etymology: ME < OE fyrst, lit., foremost, superl. of fore, before (see fore), akin to OHG furist, Ger fürst, prince, lit., foremost < IE base *per-, beyond > L prae, before, Gr para, beside, beyond

adverb

    1. before any other person or thing; at the beginning
    2. before doing anything else
  2. as the first point; to begin with
  3. for the first time
  4. sooner; preferably

noun

  1. the one before the second
  2. any person, thing, class, place, etc. that is first
  3. the first day of a month
  4. the beginning; start
  5. a first happening or thing of its kind
  6. the best quality of merchandise
  7. the winning place in a race or competition
  8. the first () gear of a motor vehicle transmission; low ()
  9. ☆ Baseball first base
  10. Music the highest or leading voice or instrument in an ensemble

first Idioms

first thing

as the first thing; before anything else

in the first place

firstly; to begin with

first Synonyms

first

modif.

  1. Foremost in order

    beginning, original, earliest, primary, prime, primal, antecedent, anterior, initial, virgin, maiden, opening, introductory, inceptive, incipient, inaugural, premier, primeval, aboriginal, leading, in the beginning, front, head, rudimentary, fundamental.

    Antonyms last*, ultimate, final.

  2. Foremost in importance

    chief, greatest, prime, preeminent; see principal.

in the first place

firstly, initially, to begin with; see at first under first.

first Synonyms

first

n.

beginning, outset, start, the word ""go''*; see origin 1.

at first

in the beginning, initially, firstly, in the first place, at the outset, at the start, at the beginning, at the commencement, originally, to begin win, first off*, for openers*.

first Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • put: Put child safety first By Roma Felstein of Safe & Sound Put child safety first.

Modifies a noun

  • time: For the first time in years, Jonathan " Jack " O'Neill had cried.
  • step: The first step is choosing the right iron for your needs.
  • half: The lane was probably built to give access to Lune Mill in the first half of the 13th century, or earlier.
  • place: For example, the cost of setting up a business in the first place can be high.
  • instance: In the first instance two clusters were set up in 1999.
  • year: We provide a company Nominee Director for the first year.

Modifying Another Word

  • very: From the very first flat to our current rather large house we have never really thought about jumping on the housing market.

Infinitive complement

  • hear: Sign-up to be the first to hear about all the latest offers, exclusive Park news and much more from Haven and British Holidays.
  • receive: Our staff were among the first to receive satellite data for environmental monitoring.
  • know: Member for Bath that I believe that Parliament should be the first to know, and I genuinely mean that.
  • declare: Notes It's always difficult to be the first to declare a new thing.
  • spot: Pasteur was one of the first to spot this in the asymmetry of tiny crystals of tartaric acid salts.
  • go: First to go was the myth that reading is hard to teach.

Used with adjective complement

  • come: All rounds are 3 hour races except for 30th April which will be 454 laps or 7.5 hours, whichever comes first.
  • appear: Visitors to the site - Searchers are shown all events that interest them within 40 miles, prominent events appear first.
  • ring: The Malvern Bookshop is now closed on Thursdays and customers are advised to ring first before traveling any distance during the winter.
  • seek: Seek first God's Kingdom, and you will discover Eternal Life!

Preposition: of

  • series: Welcome to the first of a series of regular e-bulletins which we intend to send to all of our members.
  • season: This will be the first of a season of productions in the Seckford Theater.
first Quotes

   When you have shot one bird flying you have shot all birds flying. Theyare all different and they fly in different ways but the sensation is the same and the last one is as good as the first.

—Hemingway, Ernest Millar

The poet shares with other artists the faculty of seeing things as though for the first time.

—Spender, Sir Stephen Harold

As fattening is the first duty of fashionable female life, it must be duly enforced by the rod if necessary. I got up a bit of flirtation with missy, and induced her to rise and shake hands with me. Her face was lovely, but her body was as round as a ball.

—Speke,John Hanning

First Among Equals.

—Archer,Jeffrey Howard, Lord

Das Erste und Letzte, was vom Genie gefordert wird, ist Wahrheitsliebe. The first and thelastthingdemanded of geniusisthelove of truth.

—Goethe,JohannWolfgang von

The first and wisest of them all professed To know this only, that he nothing knew.

—Milton,John

The first argument that is brought against every new proposal departing from conventional lines is nearly always that it is impracticable.

—Shortlands

Such is the patriot's boast, where'er we roam, His first, best country ever is, at home.

—Goldsmith, Oliver

The first blow is half the battle.

—Goldsmith, Oliver

In Words, as Fashions, the same rule will hold; Alike Fantastic, if too New, or Old; Be not the first by whom the Neware try'd, Nor the last to lay the Old aside.

—Pope, Alexander

In America there are two classes of travelöfirst class, and with children.

—Benchley, Robert Charles

The first day of the weekcometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

—Bible (NewTestament)

The expedition had now performed its functions. I saw that old father Nile without any doubt rises in the Victoria Nyanza, and as I had foretold, that lake is the great source of the holy river which cradled the first expounder of our religious belief.

—Speke,John Hanning

If the President has a bully pulpit, then the First Lady has a white glove pulpit†more refined, restricted, ceremonial, but it's a pulpit all the same.

—Reagan, Nancy

After the first powerful plain manifesto The black statement of pistons, without more fuss, But gliding like a queen, she leaves the station. 807

—Spender, Sir Stephen Harold

L'homme n'est rien d'autre que ce qu'il se fait.Tel est le premier principe de l'existentialisme. Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself. That is the first principle of existentialism.

—Sartre,Jean-Paul

Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life.

—Rhodes, Cecil John

For every philosopher, in every age, the first question must be:Just what is philosophy?

—Sparshott, Francis

Quo semel est imbuta recens servabit odorem testa diu. The first scent you pour in a jar lasts for years.

—Horace full name  Quintus Horatius Flaccus   65

   A land may be said to be discovered the first time a European, presumably an Englishman, sets foot on it.

—Stefansson,Vilhjalmur

   Live as long as you may, the first twenty years are the longest half of your life.

—Southey, Robert

Science says the first word on everything and the last word on nothing.

—Hugo,Victor Marie

We'd gained our first objective hours before While dawn broke like a face with blinking eyes, Pallid, unshaved and thirsty, blind with smoke.

—Sassoon, Siegfried Louvain

This pretty ring† I will give it to the first man who tells me he would like to be a woman. It is delightful to be a woman; but every man thanks the Lord devoutly that he isn't one.

—Iron

It isn't the first step that concerns me, but both sides escalating to the fourth or fifth stepöand we don't go to the sixth because there is no one around to do so.

—Kennedy, Robert F(rancis)

You have a row of dominoes set up.You knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last isthat it will go over very quickly.

—Eisenhower, Dwight D(avid)

It is an axiom of sports that the legs go first. For sportswriters, it's the enthusiasm.

—Frayne,Trent

But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

—Bible (NewTestament)

We for a certaintyare not the first Have sat in taverns while the tempest hurled Their hopeful plans to emptiness, and cursed Whatever brute and blackguard made the world.

—Housman, A(lfred) E(dward)

The silver swan, who living had no note, When death approached, unlocked her silent throat; Leaning her breast against the reedy shore, Thus sung her first and last, and sung no more: 'Farewell, all joys; Oh death, come close mine eyes; More geese than swans now live, more fools than wise.'

—Gibbons, Orlando

About the time you are writing a line that you have writtenso oftenthat you wanttothrow up, that isthefirst time the American people will hear it.

—Gergen, David Richmond

We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea.

—Coleridge, Samuel Taylor

When you're a poet, you're a poet first.When it comes, it's like an angel. 715

—Sarton, May