first in, first outnoun [ U ]
ukusabbreviation FIFOACCOUNTING the method used to calculate the value of products or materials, in which the first ones that are bought or produced are said to be the first that are sold or used. At the end of the year, the value of the ones that have not been sold or used is calculated using their most recent cost:
Inventory is valued at currently adjusted standards which approximate actual costs on a first-in, first-out basis.
PRODUCTION the method of controlling stock, in which the first products or materials that are produced or bought are the first that are sold or used
IT the system by which a computer reads and deals with data in the order in which it receives it
HR the situation in which, when a company needs to reduce its number of employees, the first people who were employed are the first to lose their jobs
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last in, first out