- happening or coming before all other similar things or people; 1st
- her first husband
- the first turning on the right
- I didn't take the first bus.
- It was the first time they had ever met.
- It's always exciting to visit a country for the first time.
- students in their first year at college
- First impressions can be misleading.
- She resolved to do it at the first (= earliest) opportunity.
- King Edward I (= pronounced ‘King Edward the First’)
- the first of May/May 1st
- His second book is better than his first.
Extra Examples- If he wants to see me, he should make the first move.
- Local voters gave Steven Hughes first preference.
- My first impulse was to run away.
- We're having chicken for the first course.
- When the first settlers moved into the area they faced immense hardship.
- You can have first choice of all the rooms.
- the most important or best
- Your first duty is to your family.
- She won first prize in the competition.
- an issue of the first importance
Word OriginOld English fyr(e)st; of Germanic origin, related to Old Norse fyrstr and German Fürst ‘prince’, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit prathama, Latin primus, and Greek prōtos.
Idioms Idioms containing first det. are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example on first acquaintance is at acquaintance.
See first in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee first in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishCheck pronunciation:
first