What does "first" mean?

1. (before all others) the person or thing that comes before everyone or everything else. 2. (before anything else) used to say that something happens before other things. 3. (for the first time) used when you do something that you have never done before. 4. (a new occurrence) something that has never happened before. 5. (lowest gear) the gear you use in a car or bike to start moving. 6. (top university grade) the highest possible grade for a university degree in the UK. 7. (most important) the most important or highest in rank.

How do you use "first"?

Usually placed before a noun and often preceded by 'the'. Often used as a sentence starter to sequence events.

first — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01before all others

A1 · Beginner

det. the person or thing that comes before everyone or everything else.

det. denoting the person or thing that precedes all others in a series, sequence, or chronological order.

“She was the first person to arrive at the party on Saturday night.”

“The first chapter of the novel establishes a sense of unease that persists throughout the entire narrative.”

Usage

Usually placed before a noun and often preceded by 'the'.

Synonyms

initial earliest opening

Antonyms

last final

02before anything else

A1 · Beginner

adv. used to say that something happens before other things.

adv. occurring before any other event or action in time or priority.

“First, you need to wash your hands before you start cooking.”

“First, the researchers gathered data from several independent sources to ensure the study's validity.”

Usage

Often used as a sentence starter to sequence events.

Synonyms

firstly initially

Antonyms

finally lastly

03for the first time

A2 · Elementary

adv. used when you do something that you have never done before.

adv. on the initial occasion of an occurrence or experience.

“I first met my best friend when we were both five years old.”

“The species was first documented by European explorers during an expedition in the late eighteenth century.”

Synonyms

initially

04a new occurrence

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. something that has never happened before.

n. an event or achievement that is the first of its kind.

“This snowy weather is a first for this part of the country.”

“The successful landing on the asteroid was a historic first for the international space agency.”

Synonyms

novelty milestone

05lowest gear

B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun

n. the gear you use in a car or bike to start moving.

n. the lowest transmission gear in a motor vehicle, providing maximum torque for starting from a standstill.

“You should shift into first gear when you are stopped at a red light.”

“The driver struggled to engage first as the car stalled on the steep incline of the mountain pass.”

Synonyms

low gear

06top university grade

C1 · Advanced Countable noun British English · Informal

n. the highest possible grade for a university degree in the UK.

n. a first-class honours degree, representing the highest level of undergraduate achievement in the British university system.

“He was delighted to find out he had earned a first in history.”

“Securing a first from such a prestigious institution significantly improved her prospects in the competitive job market.”

Teaching tip

This is specific to the UK education system; American students would refer to a high GPA or graduating 'summa cum laude'.

Synonyms

first-class degree

07most important

B1 · Intermediate

adj. the most important or highest in rank.

adj. foremost in importance, rank, or quality.

“Safety is our first priority when we design new cars.”

“The diplomat's first duty was to ensure the safety of the citizens living abroad during the crisis.”

Synonyms

primary chief foremost

Antonyms

secondary minor

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “first” in context.

01. first time 02. first place 03. first author 04. first reported 05. first half 06. first thing 07. first step 08. first year

From Middle English first, furst, ferst, fyrst, from Old English fyrest, from Proto-West Germanic furist, from Proto-Germanic furistaz (“first, foremost”), superlative of Proto-Germanic furai, furi (“before”), from Proto-Indo-European preh₂- (“before”), from per- (“before; first”), equivalent to fore + -est. Cognates Cognate with Scots first (“first”), Dutch voorste (“foremost, first”), vorst (“prince”), German Fürst (“chief, prince”, literally “first (born)”), Limburgish Vürsch (“prince”), Luxembourgish viischt (“anterior; forward”), Vilamovian fiyśt, fjəšt, fjyśt, fjyšt (“prince”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål først (“first”), Faroese and Icelandic fyrstur (“first”), Norwegian Nynorsk fyrst, først (“first”), Swedish först (“first”); also Latin prīnceps (“first, foremost; chief”), Greek παρ’ (par’), παρά (pará, “despite; less”), Mycenaean Greek 𐀞𐀫 (pa-ro, “from”), Albanian parë (“first; chief, main”), Latgalian pyrmais (“first”), Latvian pirmais (“first; foremost”), Lithuanian pirmas (“first; primary”), Bulgarian пъ́рви (pǎ́rvi), пръ́в (prǎ́v, “first”), Czech and Slovak prvý (“first”), Macedonian прв (prv), први (prvi, “first”), Polish piersy, pierwszy, pirszy (“first”), Russian пе́рвый (pérvyj, “first”), Serbo-Croatian пр̑вӣ, pȓvī (“first”), Slovene prvi (“first”), Armenian հարավ (harav, “south”), Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬎𐬭𐬎𐬎𐬀 (paᵘruua, “before, first”), Tocharian A pärwat (“first”), Tocharian B parwe (“first”), Sanskrit पूर्व (pūrva, “before”).

From Middle English first, furst, fyrst, from Old English fyrst, fierst, first (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”), from Proto-Germanic frestaz, fristiz, frestą (“date, appointed time”), from Proto-Indo-European pres-, *per- (“forward, forth, over, beyond”). Cognate with North Frisian ferst, frest (“period, time”), German Frist (“period, deadline, term”), Swedish frist (“deadline, respite, reprieve, time-limit”), Icelandic frestur (“period”). See also frist.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

for fore native one primary statement