highest in pitch or chief among parts or voices or instruments or orchestra sections
first soprano
the first violin section
played first horn
ranking above all others
was first in her class
the foremost figure among marine artists
the top graduate
serving to begin
the beginning canto of the poem
the first verse
serving to set in motion
the magazine's inaugural issue
the initiative phase in the negotiations
an initiatory step toward a treaty
his first (or maiden) speech in Congress
the liner's maiden voyage
indicating the beginning unit in a series
preceding all others in time or space or degree
the first house on the right
the first day of spring
his first political race
her first baby
the first time
the first meetings of the new party
the first phase of his training
Adverb
prominently forward
he put his best foot foremost
before another in time, space, or importance
I was here first
let's do this job first
the initial time
when Felix first saw a garter snake
before anything else
first we must consider the garter snake
Noun
the lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle; used to start a car moving
an honours degree of the highest class
the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed at first of the bases in the infield (counting counterclockwise from home plate)
the time at which something is supposed to begin
they got an early start
she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her
