first / fərst/ • ordinal number 1. coming before all others in time or order; earliest; 1st: his first wife the first of five daughters ∎  never previously done or occurring: her first day at school. ∎  coming next after a specified or implied time or occurrence: I didn't take the first bus. ∎  met with or encountered before any others: the first house I came to. ∎  originally: many valuable drugs have been recognized first as poisons. ∎  before doing something else specified or implied: do you mind if I take a shower first? ∎  for the first time: she first picked up a guitar out of sheer boredom. ∎  firstly; in the first place (used to introduce a first point or reason): first, it is wrong that the victims should have no remedy. ∎  in preference; rather (used when strongly rejecting a suggestion or possibility): she longed to go abroad, but not at this man's expense—she'd die first! ∎  with a specified part or person in a leading position: it plunged nose first into the river. ∎ inf. the first occurrence of something notable: we traveled by air, a first for both of us. ∎  the first in a sequence of a vehicle's gears: he stuck the car in first and revved. ∎ Baseball first base: he made it all the way home from first. ∎  the first grade of a school. ∎  a first edition of a book.2. foremost in position, rank, or importance: the doctor's first duty is to respect this right career women who put work first football must come first. ∎  the most likely, pressing, or suitable: he is the first to admit he was not the best of patients his first problem is where to live. ∎ the first finisher or position in a race or competition. ∎  Mus. performing the highest or chief of two or more parts for the same instrument or voice: the first violins. ∎  (firsts) goods of the best quality: factory firsts, seconds, and discontinued styles. ∎ Brit. a place in the top grade in an examination, esp. that for a degree: he took a first in Classics. ∎ Brit. a person having achieved such a degree.PHRASES: at first at the beginning; in the initial stage or stages: at first Hugh tried to be patient.at first glancesee glance¹ .at first handsee firsthand.at first instancesee instance.at first sightsee sight. (the) first among equalssee equal.first bloodsee blood.first come, first served used to indicate that people will be dealt with in the order in which they arrive or apply: tickets are available on a first come, first served basis.first and foremost most importantly; more than anything else: I'm first and foremost a writer.first and last fundamentally; on the whole: museums are first and last about curatorship.first of all before doing anything else; at the beginning: first of all, let me ask you something. ∎  most importantly: German unity depends first of all on the German people.first off inf. as a first point; first of all: first off, I owe you a heck of an apology.first thing early in the morning; before anything else: I have to meet Josh first thing tomorrow.first things first used to assert that important matters should be dealt with before other things.from the (very) first from the beginning or the early stages: he should have realized it from the first.from first to last from beginning to end; throughout: it's a fine performance that commands attention from first to last.get to first basesee base¹ .in the first place as the first consideration or point: political reality was not quite that simple—in the first place, divisions existed within the parties. ∎  at the beginning; to begin with (esp. in reference to the time when an action was being planned or discussed): I should have told you in the first place.of the first order (or magnitude) used to denote something that is excellent or considerable of its kind: it is a media event of the first order.of the first watersee water.ORIGIN: Old 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.