being before all others with respect to time, order, rank, importance, etc., used as the ordinal number of one: the first edition; the first vice president.
Music and Dancehighest or chief among several voices or instruments of the same class:first alto; first horn.
Automotivelow (def. 31).
(often cap.) being a member of the household or an intimate acquaintance of the president of the U.S. or of the governor of a state:the First Lady; Checkers, the first dog.
Idiomsfirst thing, before anything else; at once; promptly:I'll call you first thing when I arrive.
adv.
before all others or anything else in time, order, rank, etc.
before some other thing, event, etc.:If you're going, phone first.
for the first time:She first visited Atlanta in 1980.
in preference to something else; rather; sooner:I'd die first.
in the first place; firstly.
Idiomsfirst and last, everything considered; above all else; altogether:First and last, it is important to know oneself.
first off, [Informal.]at the outset; immediately:He wanted to know first off why he hadn't been notified.
n.
the person or thing that is first in time, order, rank, etc.
the beginning.
the first part; first member of a series.
Music and Dance, Informal Terms
the voice or instrument that takes the highest or chief part in its class, esp. in an orchestra or chorus.
a leader of a part or group of performers.
Automotivelow gear; first gear:She shifted into first and drove off.
the winning position or rank in a race or other competition.
Sport[Baseball.]See first base.
BusinessUsually, firsts.[Com.]
Businessa product or goods of the first or highest quality.
Businessgoods produced according to specifications, without visible flaws. Cf. second1 (def. 23), third (def. 12).
Education[Brit. Univ.]
first-class honors. Cf. class (def. 18).
a person who has won such honors.
bef. 1000; Middle English; Old English fyr(e)st (see fore1, -est); cognate with German Fürst prince
first′ness, adj.
first, +adj.
(often cap.) being a member of the household or an intimate acquaintance of the president of the U.S. or of the governor of a state: the First Lady; Checkers, the first dog.