first

adjective

\ ˈfərst

Definition of first

(Entry 1 of 3)

: preceding all others in time, order, or importance: such as

a : earliest She won first prize. his first girlfriend

b : being the lowest forward gear or speed of a motor vehicle couldn't get the car out of first gear

c : having the highest or most prominent part among a group of similar voices or instruments first violins

first

adverb

Definition of first (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : before another in time, space, or importance

b : in the first place —often used with of all

c : for the first time

2 : in preference to something else : sooner

first

noun

Definition of first (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : one that is number one in a series — see Table of Numbers

2 : something that is first: such as

a : the first occurrence or item of a kind

b : the first forward gear or speed of a motor vehicle

c : the highest or chief voice or instrument of a group

d : an article of commerce of the finest grade

e : the winning or highest place in a competition, examination, or contest

3 : first base

at first

: at the beginning : initially

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about first

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Examples of first in a Sentence

Adjective

We sat in the first row. She succeeded on her first attempt. I still remember the first time I saw her.

Adverb

I have to pay him first. These problems are not as simple as they first appear. I loved her when I first saw her. This word was first recorded in the 19th century. We'll get started soon, but first we have to make sure everyone is here.

Noun

Her solo flight across the Atlantic was a remarkable first. They were responsible for several engineering firsts. I couldn't get the car out of first. take a first in English

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Harry, New England's first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, has battled an ankle injury during the preseason. — Jeremy Cluff, azcentral, "New England Patriots place rookie wide receiver N'Keal Harry on IR," 2 Sep. 2019 Gutekunst infused the defense with plenty of talent by using both his two first-round draft picks on defensive players, including Michigan tackle Rashan Gary and Maryland safety Darnell Savage. — Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press, "Why the Chicago Bears should be the favorites to win NFC North this year," 2 Sep. 2019 The Cowboys dealt their 2019 first-round pick to Oakland in October for Cooper. — Jori Epstein, USA TODAY, "How Cowboys are preparing for Ezekiel Elliott's potential Week 1 absence vs. Giants," 2 Sep. 2019 The flaming out of quarterback Paxton Lynch, the 2016 first-round pick, forced the Broncos to sign Case Keenum ($15 million salary cap hit) last year and trade for Joe Flacco ($18.5 million) this year. — Ryan O’halloran, The Denver Post, "Broncos’ John Elway believes emphasizing college experience, character will help fuel turnaround," 1 Sep. 2019 The Dolphins now have four first-round picks and four second-round selections over the next two NFL drafts. — Mark Maske, courant.com, "Draft-pick haul makes Dolphins early favorites to land Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert," 1 Sep. 2019 The 49ers waived or released 22 players Saturday and the most notable to depart was guard Joshua Garnett, a 2016 first-round pick who was a unanimous All-American at Stanford. — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, "Four tight ends? It’s part of the 49ers’ plan to protect George Kittle," 31 Aug. 2019 Regardless, the Bulldogs’ defense lost three first-round picks, including two along the defensive line. — Christopher Smith, al, "Week 1 SEC football betting preview," 31 Aug. 2019 The outlet reports she was set to make $58,000 from her first-round performance. — Helen Murphy, PEOPLE.com, "U.S. Open Fines Carla Suárez Navarro $40K After She Retires from Match," 30 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Dorian first came ashore Sunday at Elbow Cay in Abaco island at 12:40 p.m., then made a second landfall near Marsh Harbour at 2 p.m. ‘‘Catastrophic conditions’’ were reported in Abaco, with a storm surge of 18-23 feet (5.5-7 meters). — Ramón Espinosa, BostonGlobe.com, "Dorian batters Bahamas with record-setting winds," 2 Sep. 2019 She and Hemsworth met in 2009 on the set of Nicholas Sparks’ romantic drama The Last Song, so the now 26-year-old Cyrus would have been around 16-17 when the two first crossed paths. — Rachel Yang, EW.com, "Miley Cyrus releases emotional breakup song 'Slide Away' after Liam Hemsworth split," 16 Aug. 2019 Not to be out done, Redskins first-round draft pick quarterback Dwyane Haskins threw the pass of the night. — Tyler Dragon, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Bengals beat Washington Redskins 23-13 in NFL Preseason Week 2 game," 15 Aug. 2019 The last playoff win was a 24-6 first-round victory at Sidney Lanier in 2016. — Ben Thomas | [email protected], al, "Daphne coach Kenny King hopes to return alma mater to title contention in Year 4," 6 Aug. 2019 The game against the Grizzlies will mark the regular-season Heat debut of Butler, as well as the NBA debut of Grizzlies first-round pick Ja Morant. — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, "Heat to open season at home Oct. 23 vs. Grizzlies," 3 Aug. 2019 That, along with an injury suffered by 2016 first-round pick Corey Ray, paved the way to his bump up to San Antonio. — Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "In midst of 'incredible' minor-league season, Trent Grisham will make Brewers debut Thursday," 31 July 2019 Microsoft first released its Canary and Developer builds of Edge back in April, and the company has spent the past four months working alongside Google to improve Chromium for Windows with more than 1,000 commits to the project. — Tom Warren, The Verge, "Microsoft’s Chromium Edge browser moves closer to release with new beta version," 20 Aug. 2019 The video, which The Daily Beast first reported on Monday, shows a group of students at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, California, the Garden Grove Unified School District confirmed. — Madeleine Carlisle, Time, "Video Shows California High School Students Giving Nazi Salute Before Athletics Banquet," 20 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

That much is apparent is what the final cost wound up being, Chicago sent the two firsts to Oakland, along with third- and sixth-rounders, while getting second- and fifth-rounders back with Mack. — Albert Breer, SI.com, "Texans Sit at the Center of Two Seismic Trades on a Frenzied Saturday in the NFL," 2 Sep. 2019 Other, spicier firsts and superlatives include the SF90 being the first-ever mid-engine Ferrari with all-wheel drive, and its V-8 engine being the most powerful eight-cylinder Ferrari has ever installed in a road car. — Alexander Stoklosa, Car and Driver, "The 986-HP Ferrari SF90 Stradale Plug-In Hybrid Yanks Maranello Back Into Hypercar Race," 29 May 2019 In a series of firsts, women were appointed as deputy education minister in 2009, advisers to the king in 2010 and ambassador to the United States in 2019. — Alainna Liloia, The Conversation, "Saudi women are fighting for their freedom – and their hard-won victories are growing," 8 Aug. 2019 The Camp Fire, which killed 85 people and destroyed more than 14,000 homes, has generated a few firsts in California and in the country. — Scott Wilson, Washington Post, "Secondary burns: Chico, Calif., is in tumult after a fire emptied out neighboring Paradise," 3 Aug. 2019 China’s researchers have racked up a long list of CRISPR firsts in dogs, mice, rats, pigs, and rabbits. — Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, "China’s CRISPR push in animals promises better meat, novel therapies, and pig organs for people," 31 July 2019 Matt Kryger / IndyStar Teens in Indiana Black Expo's Performing Arts Academy have been experiencing a lot of firsts this week. — Domenica Bongiovanni, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana Black Expo is moving soon. That means changes for teens at the Summer Celebration.," 19 July 2019 A half-million dollars would be a princely sum, especially by jersey standards, but any firsts in the collectibles world set a different market.

first

Definition of first

Synonyms & Antonyms for first

Examples of first in a Sentence

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