An Encylopedia Britannica Company

first

1 first /ˈfɚst/ adjective
1 first
/ˈfɚst/
adjective
Britannica Dictionary definition of FIRST
: coming before all others in time, order, or importance
used to refer to the lowest forward gear or speed of a vehicle
: having or playing the main part in a group of instruments

at first blush

or at first glance also at first sight
: when first seen or considered

at first hand

: in a direct way : firsthand

first among equals

◊ A person who is first among equals is the leader of a group of people but is officially considered equal in rights and status to the other members of the group.

first thing

the first thing : anything at all used in negative statements
: before anything else : right away : very early

first things first

used to say that you should do the things that are most important before doing other things

in the first flush of

see 1flush

in the first instance

see instance

in the first place

see 1place

love at first sight

see 1love
2 first /ˈfɚst/ adverb
2 first
/ˈfɚst/
adverb
Britannica Dictionary definition of FIRST
: before any other in time, order, or importance
: for the first time
: before doing other things
used to introduce a statement that is the first in a series of statements
often used in the phrases first of all and first off

come first

: to be more important than other things

first and foremost

: at the most basic level

first and last

: at the most basic level : in all respects

first come, first served

or first come, first serve
used to say that the people who arrive earliest get served or treated before the people who arrive later
see also feetfirst, headfirst
3 first /ˈfɚst/ noun
plural firsts
3 first
/ˈfɚst/
noun
plural firsts
Britannica Dictionary definition of FIRST
: something that is first: such as
[count] : an occurrence, achievement, etc., that happens or exists before any other of that kind
[noncount] : the position of the winner in a competition or contest
[noncount] : the lowest forward gear or speed of a car, truck, etc.
[count] : a degree of the highest level from a British university
[noncount] baseball : first base

at first

: when something first happens or begins to happen : when you first notice or consider something

from the first

: from the beginning
4 first /ˈfɚst/ pronoun
4 first
/ˈfɚst/
pronoun
Britannica Dictionary definition of FIRST
: the first one or ones
: the first time