n.

1. The ordinal number matching the number one in a series.
2. The one coming, occurring, or ranking before or above all others.
3. The beginning; the outset: from the first; at first.
4. Music. The voice or instrument highest in pitch or carrying the principal part.
5. The transmission gear or corresponding gear ratio used to produce the range of lowest drive speeds in a motor vehicle.
6. The winning position in a contest: finished the season in first.
7. Baseball.
   1. First base.
   2. A first baseman.

adj.

1. Corresponding in order to the number one.
2. Coming before all others in order or location: the first house on your left.
3. Occurring or acting before all others in time; earliest: the first day of spring.
4. Ranking above all others, as in importance or quality; foremost: was first in the class.
5. Music. Being highest in pitch or carrying the principal part: first trumpet.
6. Of, relating to, or being the transmission gear or corresponding gear ratio used to produce the range of lowest drive speeds in a motor vehicle.
7. Of, related to, or being a member of the U.S. president's household: first daughter Amy Carter.

adv.

1. Before or above all others in time, order, rank, or importance: arrived first; forgot to light the oven first.
2. For the first time.
3. Rather; preferably: would die first.
4. In the first place; to begin with. See Usage Note at firstly.

idiom:

first off (or thing)

1. From the start; immediately: Why wasn't I told first off? When I get to work, I have to call my lawyer first thing.

[Middle English, from Old English fyrst.]

adjective

1. Preceding all others in time: earliest, initial, maiden, original, pioneer, primary, prime, primordial. See start/end.
2. At or near the start of a period, development, or series: beginning, early, initial. See start/end.
3. Most important, influential, or significant: capital, cardinal, chief, foremost, key, leading, main, major, number one, paramount, premier, primary, prime, principal, top. See important/unimportant.

Idioms beginning with first:
first hand
first come, first served
first cousin
first off
first thing
first things first

See also at first; at first blush; at first hand; cast the first stone; get to first base; if at first you don't succeed; in the first place; in the (first) flush of; love at first sight; not know beans (the first thing); of the first water; on a first-name basis.

---

adj, n

Definition: earliest in order
Antonyms: final, last

adj, n

Definition: highest in importance
Antonyms: last, least, lowest

adv

Definition: at the beginning
Antonyms: finally, last

n

Definition: beginning
Antonyms: end

---

is short for:

Meaning	Category
Factors In Risk Selection Techniques	Governmental->US Government
Fair And Immediate Resources For Students Today	Community->Educational
Families In Recovery To Stay Together	Community
Farmer's Independent Research Of Seed Technologies	Miscellaneous->Farming
Fast Intensive Report Supervision And Treatment	Business->General
Feedstock Impregnation And Rapid Steam Treatment	Miscellaneous->Farming
Ferrets Information Rescue Shelter Trust	Community->Non-Profit Organizations
Fighting Irish Retired Service Team	Academic & Science->Universities
Financial Integrity Rating System Of Texas	Governmental->State & Local
Firearm Instruction Responsibility And Safety Training	Community->Law
First In Recognition Of Science And Technology	Academic & Science->Universities
First Inspiration And Recognition Of Science And Technology	Academic & Science->Universities
Fixed Interest Rate Savings Tax	Governmental->State & Local
Flexible Instruction Reference And Support Tool	Academic & Science->Universities
Floppy Inclusion And Rigid Substructure Topography	Academic & Science->Electronics
Floriculture Industry Research Scholarship Trust	Community->Non-Profit Organizations
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology	Academic & Science->Universities Miscellaneous->Awards & Medals
Forum of Incident Response and Security Team	Governmental->Military
Foundation For Innovation Regional Services And Telecommunications	Community->Non-Profit Organizations
Foundation For Inspiration And Recognition Of Science And Technology	Community->Non-Profit Organizations
Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types	Community->Non-Profit Organizations
Foundation for Icthyosis and Related Skin Types	Community->Non-Profit Organizations
Freshman Incorporating Respect Service and Teamwork	Academic & Science->Universities
Friendly Information Referral Service Team	Business->General
Friendly Innovative Reliable Sincere Team	Governmental->US Government
Frontiers In Research Space and Time	Academic & Science->Astronomy
Furthering Information Research Support And Training	Academic & Science->Universities

Click here to submit an acronym.

IN BRIEF: The ordinal number matching the number one in a series.

She was the first runner to cross the finish line.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Common misspelling(s) of first

• firts

Dansk (Danish)
num. - første
n. - den første, nummer et, første gear
adj. - først, øverst, ypperst
adv. - først, første gang, straks, lige

idioms:

• at first    i begyndelsen
• at first hand    på første hånd
• at first light    ved daggry
• first aid    førstehjælp
• first and last    først og sidst, først som sidst
• first appearance    første fremtræden, debut
• first class    første klasse
• first come first served    den, der kommer først til mølle, får først malet
• first cousin    kødelig fætter, kødelig kusine
• first degree    første grad
• first ever    allerførst
• first floor    første etage
• first fruit    første resultater
• first lady    førstedame
• first language    første sprog, modersmål
• first light    daggry
• first name    fornavn
• first night    premiere
• first of all    først og fremmest
• first off    straks, til at begynde med
• first offender    førstegangsforbryder
• first past the post    forholdstalsvalgsystem
• first person    første person
• first rate    førsteklasses, tip-top
• first reading    første behandling
• first refusal    forkøbsret, første afslag
• first things first    en ting ad gangen
• from the first    fra begyndelsen
• not know the first thing about    ikke ane noget om
• on first name terms    på fornavn med
• put first    sætte først

Nederlands (Dutch)
eerst, eerder, ten eerste, eerste, eerste keer/stem/ versnelling etc., eerste klas artikelen, eerste honk in honkbal, aanvankelijk, belangrijkst

Français (French)
n. - (Mus) (la) première, premier (mois), premier (titre princier/royal), début, une première (expérience), (Aut) première (vitesse), (GB, Univ) mention très bien
adj. - premier, à première (vue), pas le moindre, en tout début
adv. - au début, au commencement, premièrement, tout d'abord, d'abord, en premier lieu, pour la première fois, plutôt, (Sport) premier, (fig) avant tout, le premier

idioms:

• at first    au début, au départ
• at first hand    (tenir une nouvelle) de première main
• first aid    secourisme
• first and last    premier et dernier
• first appearance    débuts
• first base    (Sport) première base, (fig) premier stade
• first class    première classe, première qualité
• first come first served    premier arrivé premier servi
• first cousin    cousin germain
• first degree    au premier degré (une brûlure)
• first ever    toute première
• first floor    premier étage
• first fruits    primeur
• first lady    (US, Pol) première dame
• first language    première langue, langue maternelle
• first light    aux premières lueurs du jour
• first name    prénom
• first night    (Théât) première
• first of all    avant tout
• first off    pour commencer
• first offender    (Jur) délinquant primaire
• first past the post    être le premier à l'arrivée
• first person    (Ling) première personne
• first rate    excellent
• first reading    première lecture
• first refusal    premier refus
• first things first    chaque chose en son temps
• from first to last    depuis le début jusqu'à la fin
• from the first    dès le commencement
• not know the first thing about    ne pas savoir le premier mot
• on first name terms    appeler quelqu'un par son prénom
• put first    placer premier

Deutsch (German)
adv. - zuerst, eher, lieber
n. - Erster
adj. - erster

idioms:

• at first    zuerst
• at first hand    aus erster Hand
• first aid    erste Hilfe
• first and last    erste und letzte
• first appearance    erster Auftritt, erster Anblick
• first base    (AmE Spo) das erste Mal
• first class    erste Klasse, erstklassig
• first come first served    wer zuerst kommt, mahlt zuerst
• first cousin    Cousin, Vetter
• first degree    erster Grad
• first ever    der erste überhaupt
• first floor    Erdgeschoß
• first fruits    Erstling, Erstlingserfolg
• first lady    First Lady (erste Frau im Staate)
• first language    Muttersprache
• first light    Morgengrauen
• first name    Vorname
• first night    Premiere
• first of all    zuerst
• first off    zuerst
• first offender    erstmals Straffälliger
• first past the post    als erster durchs Ziel gehen
• first person    erste Person
• first rate    erstklassig
• first reading    erste Lesung
• first refusal    Vorkaufsrecht
• first things first    eins nach dem anderen
• from first to last    von Anfang bis Ende
• from the first    von Anfang an
• not know the first thing about    nichts wissen über
• on first name terms    beim Vornamen nennen
• put first    etwas Priorität einräumen

Ελληνική (Greek)
adv. - πρώτα, πρώτ' απ' όλα, στην αρχή, για πρώτη φορά, μάλλον, κατά προτίμηση, λίαν καλώς, άριστα
n. - κάτι ή κάποιος που είναι πρώτος, πρώτη ταχύτητα, πρωτιά
num. - πρώτος, πρώτιστος
adj. - πρώτος, πρώτιστος

idioms:

• at first    στην αρχή, αρχικά
• at first hand    από πρώτο χέρι
• at first light    τα χαράματα
• first aid    (ιατρ.) πρώτες βοήθειες
• first and last    από τον πρώτο μέχρι τον τελευταίο
• first appearance    πρώτη εμφάνιση
• first class    πρώτη κατηγορία, πρώτη θέση (μέσου μεταφοράς)
• first come first served    εξυπηρέτηση κατά σειρά προτεραιότητας
• first cousin    πρώτος εξάδελφος
• first degree    πρώτο πτυχίο
• first ever    πρωτοεμφανιζόμενος
• first floor    (Βρετ.) πρώτος όροφος, (ΗΠΑ) ισόγειο
• first fruit    πρώιμο φρούτο, πρωτόλειο
• first lady    πρώτη κυρία
• first language    μητρική γλώσσα
• first light    λυκαυγές, χαραυγή
• first name    μικρό όνομα, βαπτιστικό
• first night    (καθομ.) πρώτη επίσημη παράσταση, πρεμιέρα
• first of all    πρώτ' απ' όλα
• first off    (καθομ.) πρώτ' απ' όλα
• first offender    (νομ.) ανυπότροπος, που διώκεται πρώτη φορά για αδίκημα
• first past the post    πρώτος νικητής αγώνα ταχύτητας, (για εκλογικό σύστημα) πλειοψηφικό
• first person    το πρώτο πρόσωπο
• first rate    έξοχος, πρώτης τάξεως
• first reading    (Βρετ.) υποβολή νομοσχεδίου προς συζήτηση στη Βουλή
• first things first    όλα με τη σειρά τους!
• from the first    από την αρχή κιόλας
• not know the first thing about    δεν έχω ιδέα από
• on first name terms    με οικειότητα, σε φιλική βάση
• put first    βάζω πρώτο απ' όλα

Italiano (Italian)
dapprima, prima, in primo luogo, per prima cosa, primo

idioms:

• at first    dapprima
• at first hand    di primo acchito
• at first light    alle prime luci
• first aid    pronto soccorso
• first and last    in tutto e per tutto
• first class    prima classe
• first come first served    servizio in ordine di arrivo
• first cousin    cugino primo
• first degree (academic)    laurea
• first ever    primissimo
• first floor    primo piano, (USA) pianterreno
• first fruit    primizia
• first lady    prima dama
• first language    lingua madre
• first light    prima luce
• first name    nome (vedi: cognome)
• first night    prima notte
• first of all    prima di tutto
• first off    innanzitutto
• first offender    incensurato
• first past the post    primo all'arrivo
• first person    in prima persona
• first rate    di prima qualità
• first reading    alla prima lettura
• first refusal    diritto d'opzione
• first things first    incominciamo dall'inizio
• from the first    da principio
• not know the first thing about    non saper nulla di
• on first name terms    in termini di familiarità
• put first    dare la precedenza

Português (Portuguese)
adv., -
n., -
adj. - primeiro (m)

idioms:

• at first    em princípio
• at first hand    em primeira mão
• at first light    à primeira luz
• first aid    primeiros (m) socorros
• first and last    primeiro (m) e último
• first class    primeira (f) classe
• first come first served    quem chegar primeiro sai favorecido
• first cousin    primo-irmão (m)
• first degree (academic)    primeiro (m) grau
• first ever    único (m) (o primeiro)
• first floor    primeiro (m) andar, andar (m) térreo (EUA)
• first fruit    primeiros (m pl) resultados
• first lady    primeira (f) dama
• first language    língua (f) materna
• first light    primeira (f) luz
• first name    primeiro (m) nome
• first night    primeira (f) noite, noite (f) de abertura de um espetáculo
• first of all    em primeiro lugar
• first off    primeiramente
• first offender    réu (m) primário (Jur.)
• first past the post    ganhador
• first person    primeira (f) pessoa (Gram.)
• first rate    ótimo
• first reading    leitura (f) de uma nova lei no parlamento
• first refusal    direito (m) de fazer a primeira oferta para algo que vai ser vendido
• first things first    as coisas mais importantes devem vir em primeiro lugar
• from the first    desde o começo
• not know the first thing about    não saber nada sobre algo (ser ignorante)
• on first name terms    conhecer alguém o suficiente para tratá-lo pelo primeiro nome
• put first    dar prioridade

Русский (Russian)
первый, первое число, пробный, подготовительный, самый крупный, сначала

idioms:

• at first    сначала, сперва
• at first hand    непосредственно, от первоисточника, из личного опыта
• at first light    с первым лучом солнца
• first aid    первая помощь
• first and last    в общем и целом
• first class    первый класс
• first come first served    первый пришел - первого обслужим
• first cousin    двоюродный брат/сестра
• first degree (academic)    степень бакалавра
• first ever    самый первый
• first floor    второй этаж (в Британии), первый этаж
• first fruit    первый плод
• first lady    супруга главы государства
• first language    родной язык
• first light    первые лучи солнца
• first name    имя
• first night    премьера
• first of all    во первых, прежде всего
• first off    тот, первый начал
• first offender    впервые судимый
• first past the post    выборы простым большинством голосов
• first person    первое лицо (грам.)
• first rate    самый высокий почтовый тариф
• first reading    первое чтение (законопроекта)
• first refusal    первый отказ, первое предложение
• first things first    начнем с главного
• from the first    с самого начала
• not know the first thing about    не иметь ни малейшего понятия
• on first name terms    на "ты"
• put first    протолкнуть, поставить на первое место

Español (Spanish)
n. - el primero, el principio
adj. - primero, primario, primitivo, original, delantero, temprano, excelente, principal, sobresaliente
adv. - primeramente, antes, primero, en primer lugar, anteriormente, por primera vez

idioms:

• at first    primeramente, al comienzo, en un principio, en primer lugar
• at first hand    de primera mano, directamente
• first aid    primeros auxilios
• first and last    considerando todo, en total, por sobre todo lo demás
• first appearance    debut, primera actuación
• first base    vencer la primera dificultad, lograr el primer éxito, primera base
• first class    primera clase, de primera calidad
• first come first served    el que llega primero tiene prioridad
• first cousin    primo hermano
• first degree    primer grado
• first ever    el primero
• first floor    primer piso
• first fruits    primicias, primeros frutos
• first lady    primera dama
• first language    lengua materna, idioma oficial
• first light    el amanecer
• first name    nombre de pila
• first night    noche de estreno, estreno
• first of all    ante todo, en primer lugar
• first off    primero, en primer lugar
• first offender    persona convicta por primera vez
• first past the post    ganar una competencia, elecciones por mayoría simple
• first person    primera persona
• first rate    de primera clase, muy bien, excelente
• first reading    primera lectura de un proyecto de ley
• first refusal    prioridad de adquirir o rechazar algo, opción, opción, opción, opción, opción, opción
• first things first    primero lo más importante
• from first to last    considerando todo, en total, por sobre todo lo demás, del primero al último
• from the first    desde el principio
• not know the first thing about    no tener la menor idea de algo
• on first name terms    tutearse o tratarse de tú con alguien
• put first    poner en primer lugar, priorizar

Svenska (Swedish)
adv. - först, i första klass
n. - första, förstaupplaga, förstaplats (sport), etta, högsta betyget (univ.), ettans växel (motor)
num. - första
adj. - första

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
第一, 开始, 第一的, 首先, 优先

idioms:

• at first    起先
• at first hand    直接地
• at first light    在黎明之际
• first aid    急救, 急救护理
• first and last    总括起来, 彻头彻尾
• first appearance    初出, 初次登场
• first class    上等, 第一流, 最高级, 头等
• first come first served    先到的先招待
• first cousin    堂兄弟姐妹
• first degree    最低级的, 最轻度的, 第一度的, 最高级的, 最严重的, 第一级的
• first ever    破天荒第一次, 生平第一次
• first floor    第一层
• first fruit    一个季节中最早收获的水果, 第一批果实
• first lady    第一夫人
• first language    母语
• first light    黎明, 破晓
• first name    名
• first night    首夜演出
• first of all    首先
• first off    首先, 一开始, 立刻
• first offender    初犯者
• first person    第一人称
• first rate    第一流的, 最佳的
• first reading    首读, 初读
• first refusal    第一优先的...权利
• first things first    重要的事先做
• from the first    从一开始
• not know the first thing about    完全不知情
• on first name terms    以名字称呼
• put first    放在最优先的位置

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
num. - 第一
n. - 開始, 第一
adj. - 第一的
adv. - 首先, 優先, 第一

idioms:

• at first    起先
• at first hand    直接地
• at first light    在黎明之際
• first aid    急救, 急救護理
• first and last    總括起來, 徹頭徹尾
• first appearance    初出, 初次登場
• first class    上等, 第一流, 最高級, 頭等
• first come first served    先到的先招待
• first cousin    堂兄弟姐妹
• first degree    最低級的, 最輕度的, 第一度的, 最高級的, 最嚴重的, 第一級的
• first ever    破天荒第一次, 生平第一次
• first floor    第一層
• first fruit    一個季節中最早收獲的水果, 第一批果實
• first lady    第一夫人
• first language    母語
• first light    黎明, 破曉
• first name    名
• first night    首夜演出
• first of all    首先
• first off    首先, 一開始, 立刻
• first offender    初犯者
• first person    第一人稱
• first rate    第一流的, 最佳的
• first reading    首讀, 初讀
• first refusal    第一優先的...權利
• first things first    重要的事先做
• from the first    從一開始
• not know the first thing about    完全不知情
• on first name terms    以名字稱呼
• put first    放在最優先的位置

한국어 (Korean)
num. - 첫째
n. - 수석, 제1호
adj. - 첫번째의
adv. - 첫째로, 수위에, 1등에, 우등

idioms:

• at first    최초는, 처음에는
• at first hand    직접, 손수
• at first light    새벽에
• put first    ~을 먼저 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 第一の, 一番目の, 最初の, 一流の, 最高の, 最も重要な
n. - 最初, 第一位, 第一日, 一日, 第一速, 最優等, 一塁, 一位
adv. - 終始一貫して, まず第一に, 最初に, 一番目に, むしろ, 初めて, まず

idioms:

• at first    最初は
• at first glance    一見して, 一見したところでは
• at first hand    直接に
• at first light    明け方に
• at first sight    即座に, 一目で, 一見したところでは
• first aid    応急手当
• first and foremost    まっ先に
• first and last    前後を通じて, 概して
• first appearance    初登場
• first class    第一級, 第一流
• first come first served    早いもの勝ち
• first cousin    いとこ
• first degree (academic)    最初の学位
• first ever    初めての
• first floor    一階, 二階
• first fruit    初穂, 最初の成果
• first lady    ファーストレディー
• first language    母国語
• first lieutenant    中尉
• first light    明け方
• first mate    一等航海士
• first name    名
• first night    初日, 初日の舞台
• first of all    まず第一に
• first off    第一に
• first offender    初犯者
• first past the post    比較多数票主義の
• first person    一人称, 第一人称, 第一位格
• first post    就床予備らっぱ
• first rate    一流の
• first reading    第一読会
• first refusal    第一先買権
• first sergeant    先任下士官
• first things first    重要な事から先に
• for the first time    初めて
• from the first    初めから
• get to first base    一塁に出る, やや進歩する
• in the first instance    第一に, 第一審で
• in the first place    第一位に, まず第一に, 何よりもまず
• make one's first appearance    初登場
• on first name terms    名前で呼び合う間柄
• put first    最優先する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(ظرف) أولا , للمرة الأولى (الاسم) الأول , البدايه (عدد) الرقم واحد , الأول (صفه) درجه أولى , أول‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ראשון‬
adj. - ‮ראשון, עיקרי, קודם-כל, מצויין (ציון)‬
adv. - ‮לראשונה, קודם-כל, תחילה, יותר מ-, לפני מישהו או משהו אחר‬

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My First Pencil	First Aid
First Communion	first batmobile