first

first¹ W1S1 [fə:st US fə:rst] adj

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1¦(in a series)¦

2 for the first time

3¦(main)¦

4 in the first place

5 in the first instance

6 at first glance/sight

7 first things first

8 (at) first hand

9 first prize/place

10 first choice

11 first thing

12 at first light

13 make the first move

14 not have the first idea about something

15 the first flush of something

16¦(job title)¦

17 first among equals

18 of the first water

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[: Old English; Origin: fyrst]

1.) ¦(IN A SERIES)¦

coming before all the other things or people in a series

▪ Ella was his first girlfriend.

the first thing/time/day etc

▪ The first time I flew on a plane I was really nervous.

▪ In the first year, all students take five courses.

▪ John said the first thing that came into his head.

▪ This was the first step towards achieving a peace agreement.

▪ There's a meeting on the first Monday of every month.

the first two/three/few etc

▪ I only read the first two chapters of the book.

▪ It rained during the first few days of the trip.

▪ The first and last mountain I climbed was Mount Rundle in Banff (=it was the only mountain I ever climbed) .

2.) for the first time

used to say that something has never happened or been done before

▪ For the first time in his life he felt truly happy.

▪ The survey revealed that, for the first time, there are more women in the workplace than men.

▪ Not for the first time she wondered how he coped with so many children.

3.) ¦(MAIN)¦

most important

▪ Our first priority is to maintain the standard of work.

▪ As I see it, my first responsibility is to my family.

4.) in the first place

a) used to talk about the beginning of a situation, or the situation before something happened

▪ Why did you agree to meet her in the first place?

▪ He wouldn't have given you the job in the first place if he didn't think you could do it.

b) written used to give the first in a list of reasons or points

▪ Her success was secured by two factors. In the first place, she had the support of managers.

5.) in the first instance

formal at the start of a situation or series of actions

▪ The appointment of research officer will be for two years in the first instance.

▪ Enquiries should be made in the first instance to the Human Resources Director.

6.) at first glance/sight

the first time that you look at someone or something, before you notice any details

▪ At first glance the twins look identical.

▪ At first sight, there didn't appear to be much damage.

→love at first sight at ↑love² (2)

7.) first things first

used to say that something should be done or dealt with first because it is the most important

8.) (at) first hand

if you see, experience, hear etc something at first hand, you see, experience etc it yourself, not through other people

▪ Many people have seen the horrors of war at first hand.

→↑first-hand

9.) first prize/place

the prize that is given to the best person or thing in a competition

win/take first prize

▪ She won first prize in a painting competition.

first prize/place of

▪ There is a first prize of £10,000.

10.) first choice

the thing or person you like best

▪ John was our first choice as a name for the baby.

11.) first thing

as soon as you get up in the morning, or as soon as you start work

▪ I'll call you first thing tomorrow.

▪ We're leaving first thing.

12.) at first light

literary very early in the morning

▪ The search will resume at first light tomorrow.

13.) make the first move

to be the person who starts to do something when someone else is too nervous, embarrassed etc to do it

▪ He was glad she had made the first move and kissed him.

14.) not have the first idea about sth also not know/understand the first thing about sth

to not know anything about a subject, or not know how to do something

▪ I wouldn't have the first idea about what to do in that situation.

▪ I don't know the first thing about cars.

15.) the first flush of sth

the beginning of a good period of time when you are young, successful etc

be in the first flush of passion/youth etc

▪ He was no longer in the first flush of youth.

▪ The first flush of enthusiasm had passed.

16.) ¦(JOB TITLE)¦

used in the title of someone's job or position to show that they have a high rank

▪ the first officer

▪ the First Lord of the Admiralty

17.) first among equals

someone who is officially on the same level as other people but really has more power

18.) of the first water

old-fashioned of the highest quality

first ²

first² adv

1.) before anything or anyone else

▪ Cindy and Joe arrived first.

▪ An extra five points will be given to the team that finishes first.

▪ First of all we'd better make sure we've got everything we need.

2.) before doing anything else, or before anything else happens

▪ I'll join you in a minute but I need to make a phone call first.

3.) done for the first time

▪ The book was first published in 2000.

4.) at the beginning of a situation or activity

▪ When we were first married we lived in Toronto.

▪ We first became friends when we worked together.

5.) [sentence adverb] also first of all

used before saying the first of several things you want to say

= ↑firstly

▪ First, I'd like to thank everyone for coming.

6.) first off informal

a) before doing anything else

▪ First off I'd like you all to fill in an evaluation sheet.

b) used before saying the first of several things you want to say, especially when you are annoyed

▪ First off I didn't agree with the comments in your email.

7.) first up

BrE spoken informal used to introduce the first thing you are going to talk about, or the first thing that is going to happen

▪ First up is the Blues song 'Mississippi Lad'.

8.) put sb/sth first

to consider someone or something as the most important person or thing

▪ We need to choose energy policies that put the environment first.

▪ Businesses should always put the customer first.

9.) come first

a) to be the most important person or thing to someone

▪ The care and well-being of patients should always come first.

▪ As far as I'm concerned, the children come first.

come first with

▪ Business always came first with Luke.

b) to win a competition

come first in

▪ The choir came first in all sections of the competition.

10.) first and foremost

used to emphasize the most important quality, purpose, reason etc

▪ Dublin is thought of first and foremost for its literary heritage.

11.) first and last

used to emphasize that something is the most important thing or quality

▪ She regarded herself as a teacher first and last, not a writer.

12.) first come, first served

used to say that something will be given to the people who ask for it first, when there is not enough for everyone

▪ Tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis .

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WORD CHOICE: first, first of all, firstly, at first

Use first , first of all , or firstly to introduce the first item in a list of two or more points, instructions etc : First, make sure the screws are securely fixed in position. Then attach the wire. | The plan was not practical, firstly because of the cost, and secondly because local people did not support it.

Use first or first of all to say what happens first in a series of actions : First I fed the baby. Then I made myself a sandwich.

Use at first to say what happened at the beginning of a period of time, when this changed later : At first I was nervous, but I soon started to relax .

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first ³

first³ n

1.) at first

used to talk about the beginning of a situation, especially when it is different now

▪ At first, Gregory was shy and hardly spoke.

▪ I felt quite disappointed at first.

2.) [C usually singular]

something that has never happened or been done before

first for

▪ The 3-0 defeat was a first for the team.

▪ These results are firsts in the history of women's athletics.

▪ 'I think he'll agree to it.' 'That will be a first .'

3.) from the (very) first

from the beginning of a situation

▪ I was against the idea from the first.

▪ I should have known from the first that the relationship would never work.

4.)

the highest mark you can get in a university ↑degree in Britain

▪ Helen got a first in Law.

5.) [U]

the lowest ↑gear in a car or other vehicle, that you use when moving slowly

= ↑first gear in first

▪ You should be in first on a hill like this.

▪ He put the car into first and roared away.

first ⁴

first⁴ pron

1.) the first

the first person to do something, or the first thing to happen

▪ There are now many similar housing projects but this was the first.

▪ We hope this year's festival will be the first of many .

the first to do sth

▪ I always thought my sister would be the first to get married.

▪ James was the first to arrive.

2.) the first I knew/heard

used when you have just discovered something that other people already know, and you are slightly annoyed

▪ The first I knew he was in Chicago was when I got an email from him.

the first I knew/heard of/about

▪ The first I knew about it was when Tony called me this morning.

3.) the First

spoken used after the name of a king, queen, or Pope when other later ones have the same name

▪ Queen Elizabeth the First (=written as Queen Elizabeth I)