first (firsts plural )
1 ord The first thing, person, event, or period of time is the one that happens or comes before all the others of the same kind., (Antonym: last)
She lost 16 pounds in the first month of her diet., ...the first few flakes of snow..., Two years ago Johnson came first in the one hundred metres at Seoul.
First is also a pronoun., pron
The second paragraph startled me even more than the first..., He put me through a series of exercises to improve my car control. The first was to drive on simulated ice.
2 adv If you do something first, you do it before anyone else does, or before you do anything else.
ADV with v, ADV with cl/group
I do not remember who spoke first, but we all expressed the same opinion..., First, tell me what you think of my products..., Routine questions first, if you don't mind.
3 ord When something happens or is done for the first time, it has never happened or been done before.
This is the first time she has experienced disappointment..., It was the first occasion when they had both found it possible to keep a rendezvous.
First is also an adverb., adv ADV with v
Anne and Steve got engaged two years after they had first started going out...
4 n-sing An event that is described as a first has never happened before and is important or exciting.
a N, oft N for n
It is a first for New York. An outdoor exhibition of Fernando Botero's sculpture on Park Avenue.
5 pron The first you hear of something or thefirst you know about it is the time when you first become aware of it.
the PRON that
We heard it on the TV last night<endash>that was the first we heard of it...
6 adv You use first when you are talking about what happens in the early part of an event or experience, in contrast to what happens later.
ADV before v
(=initially)
When he first came home he wouldn't say anything about what he'd been doing.
First is also an ordinal., ord usu poss ORD
She told him that her first reaction was disgust...
7 adv In order to emphasize your determination not to do a particular thing, you can say that rather than do it, you would do something else first.
ADV after v (emphasis)
Marry that fat son of a fat cattle dealer? She would die first!
8 adv You use first when you are about to give the first in a series of items.
ADV with cl/group
Certain guidelines can be given. First, have a heating engineer check the safety of the system.
9 ord The first thing, person, or place in a line is the one that is nearest to you or nearest to the front., (Antonym: last)
Before him, in the first row, sat the President..., First in the queue were two Japanese students.
10 ord You use first to refer to the best or most important thing or person of a particular kind.
The first duty of any government must be to protect the interests of the taxpayers..., Imagine winning the local lottery first prize of £5,000.
11 ord First is used in the title of the job or position of someone who has a higher rank than anyone else with the same basic job title.
...the First Lord of the Admiralty., ...the first mate of a British tanker.
12 n-count In British universities, a first is an honours degree of the highest standard.
oft N in n
...an Oxford Blue who took a First in Constitutional History.
13 You use first of all to introduce the first of a number of things that you want to say.
first of all phrase PHR with cl/group
The cut in the interest rates has not had very much impact in California for two reasons. First of all, banks are still afraid to loan.
14 You use at first when you are talking about what happens in the early stages of an event or experience, or just after something else has happened, in contrast to what happens later.
at first phrase PHR with cl
(=initially)
At first, he seemed surprised by my questions..., I had some difficulty at first recalling why we were there.
15 If you say that someone or something comes first for a particular person, you mean they treat or consider that person or thing as more important than anything else.
come first phrase V inflects
There's no time for boyfriends, my career comes first.
16 If you learn or experience something at first hand, you experience it yourself or learn it directly rather than being told about it by other people.
at first hand phrase PHR after v
He arrived in Natal to see at first hand the effects of the recent heavy fighting.
17 If you say that you do not know the first thing about something, you are emphasizing that you know absolutely nothing about it.
do not know the first thing about sth phrase V inflects (emphasis)
You don't know the first thing about farming.
18 If you put someone or something first, you treat or consider them as more important than anything else.
put sb/sth first phrase V inflects
Somebody has to think for the child and put him first.
19 You say `first things first' when you are talking about something that should be done or dealt with before anything else because it is the most important.
first things first phrase
Let's see if we can't find something to set the mood. First things first; some music.
20 →
first and foremost →
foremost
-first
-first combines with nouns like `head' and `feet' to indicate that someone moves with the part that is mentioned pointing in the direction in which they are moving. comb in adv ADV after v
He overbalanced and fell head first.
first aid
First aid is simple medical treatment given as soon as possible to a person who is injured or who suddenly becomes ill. n-uncount oft N n
There are many emergencies which need prompt first aid treatment., ...a first aid kit.
first born , first-born
Someone's first born is their first child. n-sing oft N n
She was my first-born...
first-class , first class
1 adj If you describe something or someone as first-class, you mean that they are extremely good and of the highest quality.
(=first-rate)
The food was first-class..., She has a first-class brain and is a damned good writer.
2 adj You use first-class to describe something that is in the group that is considered to be of the highest standard.
ADJ n
He officially announced his retirement from first-class cricket yesterday..., Harriet graduated with a first class degree in literature...
3 adj First-class accommodation on a train, aeroplane, or ship is the best and most expensive type of accommodation.
ADJ n
He won himself two first-class tickets to fly to Dublin., ...first-class passengers.
First-class is also an adverb., adv ADV after v
She had never flown first class before.
First-class is the first-class accommodation on a train, aeroplane, or ship., n-uncount
He paid for and was assigned a cabin in first class.
4 adj In Britain, first-class postage is the quicker and more expensive type of postage. In the United States, first-class postage is the type of postage that is used for sending letters and postcards.
ADJ n
Two first class stamps, please...
First-class is also an adverb., adv ADV after v
It took six days to arrive despite being posted first class.
first cousin (first cousins plural )Someone's first cousin is the same as their cousin. Compare second cousin. n-count oft with poss
first degree (first degrees plural )People who have gained a higher qualification after completing a basic university degree such as a BA or a BSc refer to that basic degree as their first degree. n-count
He was born in Zimbabwe where he completed his first degree in economics.
first-degree
1 adj In the United States, first-degree is used to describe crimes that are considered to be the most serious of their kind. For example, first-degree murder is when a murder is planned before it is carried out.
ADJ n
He pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree robbery.
2 adj A first-degree burn is one of the least severe kind, where only the surface layer of the skin has been burnt.
ADJ n
first ever , first-ever
Something that is the first ever one of its kind has never happened before. adj usu ADJ n
It's the first-ever meeting between leaders of the two countries.
first floor (first floors plural )
1 n-count Thefirst floor of a building is the floor immediately above the one at ground level.
(BRIT) usu the N in sing
in AM, use second floor
2 n-count Thefirst floor of a building is the one at ground level.
(AM) usu the N in sing
in BRIT, use ground floor
first fruits
Thefirst fruitsof a project or activity are the earliest results or profits. n-plural usu N of n
The deal is one of the first fruits of a liberalization of foreign investment law.
first hand , first-hand, firsthand
1 adj First hand information or experience is gained or learned directly, rather than from other people or from books.
ADJ n
School trips give children firsthand experience not available in the classroom.
First-hand is also an adverb., adv ADV after v
We've been through Germany and seen first-hand what's happening there.
2
→
at first hand
→
first
first lady (first ladies plural )TheFirst Lady in a country or state is the wife of the president or state governor, or a woman who performs the official duties normally performed by the wife. n-count usu the N in sing
first language (first languages plural )Someone's first language is the language that they learned first and speak best; used especially when someone speaks more than one language. n-count
First Minister (First Ministers plural )In the Scottish Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly, the First Minister is the leader of the ruling party. n-count usu the N; N-TITLE; N-VOC
first name (first names plural )Your first name is the first of the names that were given to you when you were born. You can also refer to all of your names except your surname as your first names. n-count usu poss N
Her first name was Mary. I don't know what her surname was. If two people are on first-name terms, they know each other well enough to call each other by their first names, rather than having to use a more formal title.
on first name terms phrase usu v-link PHR, oft PHR with n
The two were said to have been on first-name terms...
first night (first nights plural )The first night of a show, play, or performance is the first public performance of it. n-count oft N n
first offender (first offenders plural )A first offender is a person who has been found guilty of a crime for the first time. n-count
first-past-the-post
A first-past-the-post system for choosing members of parliament or other representatives is one in which the candidate who gets most votes wins.
(BRIT) adj ADJ n
first person
A statement inthe first person is a statement about yourself, or about yourself and someone else. The subject of a statement like this is `I' or `we'. n-sing the N
He tells the story in the first person...
first-rate , first rate
If you say that something or someone is first-rate, you mean that they are extremely good and of the highest quality. adj
(approval)
(=first-class)
People who used his service knew they were dealing with a first-rate professional.
first school (first schools plural )A first school is a school for children aged between five and eight or nine.
(BRIT) n-count
First Secretary (First Secretaries plural )TheFirst Secretary of the Welsh Assembly is the leader of the ruling party. n-count usu the N; N-TITLE; N-VOC
first-timer (first-timers plural )A first-timer is someone who does something for the first time. n-count
Gabrielle entered this year's charts faster than any first-timer before her.
First World
The most prosperous and industrialized parts of the world are sometimes referred to as theFirst World. Compare Third World. (BUSINESS) n-proper the N, N n
Although South Africa has many of the attributes of the first world - some good infrastructure, millions of rich people - it is still not part of that world., ...wealthy First World countries.
First World War
The First World War or the First War is the war that was fought between 1914 and 1918 in Europe. n-proper the N
head-first , headfirst
If you move head-first in a particular direction, your head is the part of your body that is furthest forward as you are moving. adv ADV after v
He had apparently fallen head-first down the stairwell...
