first

SayFURST/fɚst/UK/fɜːst/

Adjectivefirstmost

Noun pluralfirsts (some meanings)

15 meanings of first

Practice

1
1st in orderadjective
Coming before all others in time or order.
Like the runner who crosses the line before everyone else.
Please read the first page of the story out loud.
The first day of school is always exciting.
UsageSay the first time, and for the first time.
Similarinitial, earliest, opening, original, maiden
Oppositelast, final
2
adverb
For the very first time that something happens or is done.
Like the moment you taste a new food for the very first time.
When I first met her, she was still in school.
He first learned to swim when he was five.
UsagePut it before the verb: we first met in 2010. At first means at the start, before a change.
Similarinitially, originally
Oppositelast
Note
3
adverb
Before you do or deal with anything else.
Like the first step you take before all the other steps.
First, wash your hands before you sit down to eat.
We should finish our chores first.
UsagePut it at the end: eat first. Or start a list with First,.
Similarbeforehand, initially
Oppositelast, lastly, finally, afterward
4
noununcountable
The one that comes before all the others in line or order.
Like the leader standing at the front of a parade.
She was the first to cross the finish line.
At dawn the bakery opened, and he was the first through the door.
UsageSay the first to + verb: the first to finish.
Oppositelast
Note
5
adjective
Highest in rank, or the most important of a group.
Like the captain who leads the whole team.
She plays first violin in the school orchestra.
Her apple pie won first prize at the county fair.
Similarchief, foremost, leading, principal, top
Note

Less common meanings

6
nouncountable
Something that happens or appears for the very first time.
Like the very first time you ride a bike without help.
Winning a gold medal was a first for the small school.
Seeing snow was a real first for the children from the tropics.
UsageSay a first for me, or this is a first.
Similarmilestone, breakthrough, novelty, landmark
7
baseballnouncountable
In baseball, the base a batter must touch first after hitting the ball.
Like the first safe spot you run to in a game of tag.
The runner slid into first just ahead of the throw.
She hit a grounder and barely made it to first.
UsageSay to first and at first, with no the.
Note
8
lowest gearnoununcountable
The lowest gear in a car or other vehicle.
Like using your slowest, strongest setting to get a heavy load moving.
Shift into first before you start up the steep hill.
The car stalled because she left it in first.
UsageSay in first, with no the.
Similarlow, bottom
Oppositetop
9
original editionnouncolloquialcountable
A copy of a book from its earliest printing.
Like owning the very first one made in a special batch of toys.
Collectors paid a fortune for a first of the famous novel.
She found a first of the poetry collection at a yard sale.
10
nouncolloquialBritishcountable
In Britain, the highest grade of bachelor's degree a student can earn.
She graduated with a first in chemistry from a top university.
Earning a first meant her years of hard study had paid off.
UsageYou get a first in a subject.
Note
11
adjective
Part of the family or home of a country's president or other leader.
Like the oldest, most respected family that everyone in town knows.
The First Lady visited a school in our town today.
Children love reading stories about the First Cat and its life in the White House.
UsageOften written with capitals: First Lady.
Note
12
propose motionverbraretransitive
To put forward a new motion at a meeting so others can support it.
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 CromwellHere, firsted means put forward as a new motion at a meeting.
Sure, 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 FireHere, firsted means put forward as a new motion at a meeting.
Similarpropose, move
Note
13
nounobsolete
Time, especially extra time someone is given, or a short rest.
Note
14
adverb
Ahead of all the others, in the number one place in a race, contest, line, or ranking.
My little brother finished first in the school race.
Our soccer team ranks first in the league this year.
UsageSay come first or finish first.
Oppositelast
Note
15
adverbnonstandardHong Kong
In Southeast Asian and Hong Kong English, used to mean now or for the moment.

More uses

first downin American football, a new set of four chances to move the ball

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of first apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–12, 14

From Old English fyrest, meaning "foremost." It is the superlative of an old root meaning "before," and is related to the word "fore."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

First descends from Old English fyrest. en.wiktionary.org
Old English fyrest meant foremost or first. en.wiktionary.org
First ultimately represents a superlative of a form meaning before. en.wiktionary.org
First is etymologically related to fore through Proto-Germanic *furai. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 13

From Old English fyrst, meaning "a period or space of time." It came from an old Germanic word for an appointed time or date.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

The time-related noun first derives from Old English fyrst, meaning a period or space of time. en.wiktionary.org
Its Germanic ancestor meant an appointed time or date. en.wiktionary.org