first

Plural: firsts

Noun

• The initial or earliest in a sequence or category.
• the first or highest in an ordering or series
  • "He wanted to be the first"
• the first element in a countable series
  • "the first of the month"
• the time at which something is supposed to begin
• the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed at first of the bases in the infield (counting counterclockwise from home plate)
• an honours degree of the highest class
• the lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle; used to start a car moving
• The person or thing in the first position.
• The first gear of an engine.
• Something that has never happened before; a new occurrence.
• first base
• A first-class honours degree.
• A first-edition copy of some publication.
• A fraction whose (integer) denominator ends in the digit 1.
• Time; time granted; respite.

Adjective

• preceding all others in time or space or degree
  • "the first house on the right"
  • "the first day of spring"
  • "his first political race"
  • "her first baby"
  • "the first time"
  • "the first meetings of the new party"
  • "the first phase of his training"
• highest in pitch or chief among parts or voices or instruments or orchestra sections
  • "first soprano"
  • "the first violin section"
  • "played first horn"

Adjective Satellite

• indicating the beginning unit in a series
• serving to set in motion
  • "his first (or maiden) speech in Congress"
• serving to begin
  • "the first verse"
• ranking above all others
  • "was first in her class"

Adverb

• before anything else
  • "first we must consider the garter snake"
• the initial time
  • "when Felix first saw a garter snake"
• before another in time, space, or importance
  • "I was here first"
  • "let's do this job first"
• prominently forward

Adj

• Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest.
• Most eminent or exalted; most excellent; chief; highest.
• Of or belonging to a first family.
• Coming right after the zeroth in things that use zero-based numbering.

Adv

• Before anything else; firstly.
• For the first time.
• Now.

Verb

• To propose (a new motion) in a meeting, which must subsequently be seconded.

Examples

• Clean the sink first, before you even think of starting to cook.
• Demosthenes was the first orator of Greece.
• Hancock was first to arrive.
• He was the first to complete the course.
• Her FIRST move, a bingo, set the tone for a dominant Scrabble match.
• I first witnessed a death when I was nine years old.
• I plunged nose first into the water.
• I was the first runner to reach the finish line, and won the race.
• one forty-first of the estate
• The first day of September 2013 was a Sunday.
• the first violinist
• There was a close play at first.
• This is a first. For once he has nothing to say.

Synonyms

1st, beginning, commencement, first base, first gear, first of all, first off, first-class honours degree, firstly, for the first time, foremost, get-go, inaugural, initiative, initiatory, kickoff, low, low gear, maiden, number 1, number one, offset, outset, showtime, start, starting time, world-class

Antonyms

end, last, middle, second

Related Words

for, fore, primary, primus inter pares

Anagrams of first