first
- 01 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.
Simple“She was the first person to arrive at the party on Saturday night.”
In context“The first chapter of the novel establishes a sense of unease that persists throughout the entire narrative.”
UsageUsually placed before a noun and often preceded by 'the'.
- 02 A1 Beginner
adv.used to say that something happens before other things.
adv.occurring before any other event or action in time or priority.
Simple“First, you need to wash your hands before you start cooking.”
In context“First, the researchers gathered data from several independent sources to ensure the study's validity.”
UsageOften used as a sentence starter to sequence events.
- 03 A2 Elementary
adv.used when you do something that you have never done before.
adv.on the initial occasion of an occurrence or experience.
Simple“I first met my best friend when we were both five years old.”
In context“The species was first documented by European explorers during an expedition in the late eighteenth century.”
Synonyms - 04 B1 Intermediate
n.something that has never happened before.
n.an event or achievement that is the first of its kind.
Simple“This snowy weather is a first for this part of the country.”
In context“The successful landing on the asteroid was a historic first for the international space agency.”
- 05 B1 Intermediate
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.
Simple“You should shift into first gear when you are stopped at a red light.”
In context“The driver struggled to engage first as the car stalled on the steep incline of the mountain pass.”
Synonymslow gear - 06 C1 Advanced
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.
Simple“He was delighted to find out he had earned a first in history.”
In context“Securing a first from such a prestigious institution significantly improved her prospects in the competitive job market.”
Teacher's tipThis is specific to the UK education system; American students would refer to a high GPA or graduating 'summa cum laude'.
Synonymsfirst class degree - 07 B1 Intermediate
adj.the most important or highest in rank.
adj.foremost in importance, rank, or quality.
Simple“Safety is our first priority when we design new cars.”
In context“The diplomat's first duty was to ensure the safety of the citizens living abroad during the crisis.”
Usage first time · first place · first author
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.