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first - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'first' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . First [ a.]
- Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest; as, the first day of a month; the first year of a reign.
- Foremost; in front of, or in advance of, all others.
- Most eminent or exalted; most excellent; chief; highest; as, Demosthenes was the first orator of Greece.
2 . First [ adv.]
- Before any other person or thing in time, space, rank, etc.; -- much used in composition with adjectives and participles.
3 . First [ n.]
- The upper part of a duet, trio, etc., either vocal or instrumental; -- so called because it generally expresses the air, and has a preeminence in the combined effect.

Meaning of 'first' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . first [ n]
Meaning (1):
- the first or highest in an ordering or series
Example in sentence:
  • He wanted to be the first
Meaning (2):
- the time at which something is supposed to begin
Example in sentence:
  • she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her;
  • they got an early start
Meaning (3):
- the first element in a countable series
Example in sentence:
  • the first of the month
4 . first [ a]
Meaning (4):
- highest in pitch or chief among parts or voices or instruments or orchestra sections
Example in sentence:
  • first soprano;
  • played first horn;
  • the first violin section
Meaning (5):
- preceding all others in time or space or degree
Example in sentence:
  • her first baby;
  • his first political race;
  • the first day of spring;
  • the first house on the right;
  • the first meetings of the new party;
  • the first phase of his training;
  • the first time
6 . first [ r]
Meaning (6):
- before anything else
Example in sentence:
  • first we must consider the garter snake
Meaning (7):
- prominently forward
Example in sentence:
  • he put his best foot foremost
Meaning (8):
- before another in time, space, or importance
Example in sentence:
  • I was here first;
  • let's do this job first
Meaning (9):
- the initial time
Example in sentence:
  • when Felix first saw a garter snake
10 . first [ s]
Meaning (10):
- serving to set in motion
Example in sentence:
  • an initiatory step toward a treaty;
  • his first (or maiden) speech in Congress;
  • the initiative phase in the negotiations;
  • the liner's maiden voyage;
  • the magazine's inaugural issue
Meaning (11):
- serving to begin
Example in sentence:
  • the beginning canto of the poem;
  • the first verse
Meaning (12):
- ranking above all others
Example in sentence:
  • the foremost figure among marine artists;
  • the top graduate;
  • was first in her class

Nearby Words:

fir fir tree fire fire beetle fire-fanged fire-new fire-set firearm fireback fireball

See 'first' also in:

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