being before all others with respect to time, order, rank, importance, etc., used as the ordinal number of one: the first edition; the first vice president.
Music. highest or chief among several voices or instruments of the same class: first alto; first horn.
Automotive. low1 (def. 31).
(often initial capital letter) being a member of the household or an intimate acquaintance of the president of the United States or of the governor of a state: the First Lady; Checkers, the first dog.
adverb
before all others or anything else in time, order, rank, etc.
before some other thing, event, etc.: If you're going, phone first.
for the first time: She first visited Atlanta in 1980.
in preference to something else; rather; sooner: I'd die first.
in the first place; firstly.
noun
the person or thing that is first in time, order, rank, etc.
the beginning.
the first part; first member of a series.
Music.
the voice or instrument that takes the highest or chief part in its class, especially in an orchestra or chorus.
a leader of a part or group of performers.
Automotive. low gear; first gear: She shifted into first and drove off.
the winning position or rank in a race or other competition.
Baseball. first base (def. 1).
Usually firsts .Commerce.
a product or goods of the first or highest quality.
goods produced according to specifications, without visible flaws.
Compare second1 (def. 23), third (def. 12).
British University.
first-class honors.See also class (def. 18).
a person who has won such honors.
Idioms for first
first and last, everything considered; above all else; altogether: First and last, it is important to know oneself.
first off, Informal. at the outset; in the beginning: He wanted to know first off why he hadn't been notified.
first thing, before anything else: I'll call you first thing when I arrive.
Origin of first
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English fyr(e)st; cognate with German Fürst “prince”; see fore1, -est1
OTHER WORDS FROM first
firstness,adjective
Words nearby first
firn, firnification, firn line, Firozabad, firry, first, first aid, First Amendment, first and foremost, first and last, first base