first

Adjective

• 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
    

• the first element in a countable series
  • the first of the month
    

• the first or highest in an ordering or series
  • He wanted to be the first
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  foremost , world-class , beginning(a) , inaugural , initiative , initiatory , maiden , 1st , for the first time , firstly , first of all , first off , first gear , low gear , low , first-class honours degree , first base , number one , number 1
• Antonyms: 
  second , last