first
Adjectivefirstmost
Noun pluralfirsts (some meanings)
Formsfirstmost
Pluralfirsts (some meanings)
Formsfirsts, firsting, firsted
- 1Coming before all others in time or order, or in the position numbered one in a series.
Their first attempt at the recipe came out better than expected.
He was the first guest to arrive at the party.
UsageUsually with the: the first day, the first time. The fixed phrase is for the first time (not
incorrect: for first time). - 2On the earliest occasion that something occurs; for the first time.
She first visited Paris when she was a teenager.
The disease was first identified in the early twentieth century.
UsagePut it before the main verb: we first met in 2010. Don't confuse it with at first, meaning at the beginning, before things changed.
Similarinitially, originally
Oppositelast
Note
Placed before the verb, it marks a first occasion: I first witnessed a death when I was nine. That position, with context, usually separates it from the "before anything else" meaning. In a sequence such as I first washed, then dressed, it marks order instead. Move it to the end, as in I witnessed it first, and the sentence starts to mean ahead of other things rather than for the first time.
- 3Before anything else; ahead of all other actions or considerations.
First, gather all the ingredients you will need for the cake.
Read the safety instructions first, then start the machine.
UsageEnd a clause with it: wash your hands first. Or start a list with First, Firstly or First of all.
Similarbeforehand, initially
- 4The person or thing occupying the position ahead of all others.
Of all the applicants, she was the first to be interviewed.
He always insists on being the first into the office each morning.
UsageUsually the first to + verb: the first to finish. Also the first of many.
Oppositelast
Note
The noun stands in for a person or thing just named, often paired with a partner. William Temple, in notes first printed in 1701, contrasts study and conversation as the first and the other, the way modern prose uses the former and the latter.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- The notes were first published in 1701, in Miscellanea: The Third Part. openlibrary.org
- William Temple contrasts study and conversation using 'the first' and 'the other'. essays.quotidiana.org
- 5Highest in rank, importance, or excellence; chief or most eminent.
As first secretary, she advised the ambassador on every major decision.
Critics of the day hailed her as the first pianist of her generation.
Similarchief, foremost, leading, principal, top
Note
Here the ranking is by worth, not by order. Demosthenes was the first orator of Greece because none surpassed him, not because none came before him. It survives in titles such as first violinist and in older phrases like persons of the first distinction, meaning of the highest standing. When the first of pastoral regions is said, the frame signals eminence, as distinct from the plain ordinal.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- Demosthenes is described as the first orator of Greece in the sense of eminence. en.wiktionary.org
- The historical phrase persons of the first distinction refers to people of high standing. en.wiktionary.org
- The phrase the first of pastoral regions is attested with first expressing eminence. en.wiktionary.org
Less common meanings
- 6An event or achievement that has never occurred before; a novel occurrence.
Her solo flight across the ocean marked a first in aviation history.
Tasting durian was a first for everyone at the table.
UsageCommon frames: a first for someone, and the surprised This is a first.
Similarmilestone, breakthrough, novelty, landmark
- 7In baseball, the first of the four bases a batter must reach, at the right corner of the infield.
The shortstop fielded the ball and threw to first for the out.
He was picked off first after taking too big a lead.
UsageNo article: a throw to first, safe at first.
Note
In baseball talk the ordinal on its own names the bag on the right side of the infield, as in a throw to first or out at first; elsewhere at first means initially.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- First base lies on the right side of the infield, viewed from home plate toward the outfield. en.wikipedia.org
- 8The lowest gear in a vehicle's transmission, used for starting from a stop or climbing steep grades.
He dropped into first as the road grew steeper.
She put the truck in first and slowly let out the clutch.
UsageUsually in first or into first, with no the: put the car in first.
Oppositetop
- 9A copy of a publication from its earliest printing, often prized by collectors.
The dealer authenticated the volume as a genuine first.
A signed first can fetch thousands at auction.
- 10The top classification a British university awards for an undergraduate honors degree.
He was thrilled to come away with a first in history.
Only a handful of students in her year got a first.
UsageYou get a first in a subject: a first in history. Below it come a 2:1, a 2:2 and a third.
Note
Everyday British student talk for the top degree result. William H. Cropper's Great Physicists (2001) has Stephen Hawking choosing Cambridge if they gave him a first.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- A first is the highest undergraduate honours degree classification in Britain. ucl.ac.uk
- William H. Cropper wrote Great Physicists. files.znu.edu.ua
- Cropper's book reports that Stephen Hawking said he would go to Cambridge if awarded a first. files.znu.edu.ua
- 11Belonging to the family or household of a head of state, especially the US President, as in First Lady or First Dog.
Photographers crowded the lawn to catch a glimpse of the First Dog.
The First Daughter spoke at the convention on her father's behalf.
UsageUsually capitalized in these titles: the First Lady, the First Family.
Note
A title-maker for the household at the top. Attached to a family member, or even a pet, it produces forms such as First Daughter, First Son, First Dog and First Cat. Context decides; in the ordinal sense a first daughter is simply the eldest.
- 12To formally propose a new motion at a meeting, which another member must then second.
This motion has been firsted and seconded. I desire to third it.
1828, Diary of Thomas Burton, Esq. Member in the Parliaments of Oliver and Richard CromwellSure, Brother Severn, I second that motion. If you hadn’t got ahead of me I’d have firsted it myself.
1922, Grace Livingston Hill, The City of FireNote
A rare procedural verb modeled on second: if a motion is seconded, someone must have firsted it. The pattern invites play. The Diary of Thomas Burton (1828) has a member offer to third a motion, and Grace Livingston Hill's The City of Fire (1922) has an eager seconder say, "I'd have firsted it myself."
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The Diary of Thomas Burton was first published in 1828. archive.org
- The Diary records a member offering to third a motion. archive.org
- Grace Livingston Hill wrote The City of Fire, first published in 1922. openlibrary.org
- 13Time, and in particular time allowed to someone as a grace period or as a pause for relief; respite.
Note
A different word altogether that happens to share the spelling. Old English fyrst meant a period, a space of time, a respite or even a truce, from a Germanic word for an appointed date. Now obsolete, it belongs to the reading of older texts, not to current use.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- The respite noun has a separate etymological history from the ordinal first. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English fyrst meant a period or space of time, respite, or truce. en.wiktionary.org
- The noun descends from a Germanic word meaning an appointed time or date. en.wiktionary.org
- The noun meaning time granted or respite is obsolete. en.wiktionary.org
- 14In front of all the rest, holding the top spot in a race, competition, line, or ranking.
The long-shot horse came in first, paying out at forty to one.
Shoppers who camp out overnight stand first in line when the doors open.
UsageAfter verbs like come, finish and stand: finish first. Come first can also mean matter most: family comes first.
Oppositelast
Note
In this meaning the word ranks rivals or places in a line: the horse that comes in first has beaten the field, and shoppers who stand first in line are ahead of everyone else. The "firstly" adverb is different: it orders steps, as in First, beat the eggs, rather than ranking rivals.
- 15In Hong Kong English, now: at this moment rather than later.
Showing meanings only.
More uses
- first downin American football, a new set of four chances to move the ball
Practice
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Origins
From Middle English first, from Old English fyrest and Proto-Germanic *furistaz ("foremost, first"), the superlative of *furai, *furi ("before"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- ("before; first"). It is equivalent to "fore" plus "-est," and is related to Dutch voorste, German Fürst ("prince"), and Swedish först.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts
- English first descends from Middle English first, Old English fyrest, and Proto-Germanic *furistaz. en.wiktionary.org
- Proto-Germanic *furistaz means foremost or first. en.wiktionary.org
- First is equivalent to fore plus -est. en.wiktionary.org
- First is related to Dutch voorste. en.wiktionary.org
- First is related to German Fürst, meaning prince. en.wiktionary.org
- First is related to Swedish först. en.wiktionary.org
From Middle English first, from Old English fyrst ("period, space of time, respite, truce"), from Proto-Germanic *frestaz/*fristiz ("date, appointed time"), from Proto-Indo-European *per- ("forward, forth, beyond"). It is related to German Frist ("deadline, term") and Swedish frist ("deadline, respite").
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts
- The obsolete noun first, meaning time or respite, descends through Middle English first from Old English fyrst. en.wiktionary.org
- The Old English noun meant a period or space of time, respite or truce. en.wiktionary.org
- This noun derives from Proto-Germanic *frestaz/*fristiz, meaning date or appointed time. en.wiktionary.org
- Its ancestry includes Proto-Indo-European *per-, meaning forward, forth or beyond. en.wiktionary.org
- The obsolete noun first is cognate with German Frist, meaning deadline or term. en.wiktionary.org
- The obsolete noun first is cognate with Swedish frist, meaning deadline or respite. en.wiktionary.org