FIRST

[adjective], [adverb] [not gradable], [noun], [pronoun] - (a person or thing) coming before all others in order, time, amount, quality or importanceWho was the first (person) to finish? [+ to infinitive]Who finished first?She was one of the first (guests) to arrive at the party. [+ to infinitive]Much of his success, as he is the first (= very willing) to acknowledge, is due to his good looks. [+ to infinitive]The first we heard about the murder was a news report on the radio.This concert will be her first since the birth of her child a year ago.Tonight sees the first of three documentaries about cancer.When was the first (ever) radio broadcast made?This is my first visit to New York.This is the first time I've been to New York.The temperature has risen above freezing for the first time in six days/since last Sunday.It won't be the first time that he's changed his mind.I'm always nervous for the first few minutes of an exam.What's the first thing you think of when you hear that noise?Think carefully before you answer their questions and don't just say the first thing that comes into your head.When did you first meet each other?The company was still very small when I first joined."Should I put the potatoes in the oven?" "You should chop them up first (= before you put them in)."She'll never agree to work for him. She'd die first (= She would never work for him whatever happened)!First (of all) (informal First off) (= Before anything else), I'd like to ask you a few questions about your childhood.First looking over his shoulder, he took a small box from his pocket.This new surgical technique is a first for (= has never been done before in) Britain. [C](UK) She got a first (formal first-class degree) (= best possible qualification in a college degree) in English from Newcastle University.At first (= In the beginning) I thought he was joking but then I realized he meant it.South-east England will start cloudy with showers at first, but it should brighten up by late morning.First come, first served means that those who ask for something first will receive it first and that there might not be enough for those who ask later.Tickets for the concert are free and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.A member of a group of people who is described as first among equals is officially on the same level as the other members but in fact has slightly more responsibility or power.The British Prime Minister is first among equals in the Cabinet.If you are in the first flush of something, you are at the start of it.You're no longer in the first flush of youth, you know Dad!In spite of her recent election success, she remains first and foremost (= more than anything else) a writer, not a politician.Don was, first and last (= as the most important fact), a good friend.I opposed the proposal from the (very) first (= from the beginning).Enquiries about the post should be addressed in the first place (UK also in the first instance) (= in the beginning) to the personnel manager.He said he'd phone back first thing (= very early in the morning) tomorrow.Don't worry, your car can be repaired, but first things first (= more important things should be done before less important things), are you sure you're not hurt?First aid is basic medical treatment which is given to someone as soon as possible after they have been hurt in an accident or suddenly become ill.Did you learn any first aid at school?The government is appealing for supplies of first-aid equipment.How many first-aiders (= people who know about first aid) are there in your office?In baseball, first base (or first is the place a batter runs to after hitting the ball, or the position played by an infielder(figurative) Your proposal is so poorly designed, you won't even get to/reach first base (= have the first achievement or agreement which is needed for later success) with the directors.The first-born (child) in a family is the child who is older than all the other children of those parents.Do first-borns develop closer relationships with their parents than their brothers and sisters?If a service is first class, it is the best that is possible or available.Most first-class mail (= the more expensive class of post in Britain which is delivered more quickly than second class) is delivered the day after it is posted.How much more would it cost to send it first class?First class rail fares are to rise by an average of 6 per cent.Is it possible to upgrade to first class once you're on board the plane?She used to travel (in) first class but she can't afford it anymore.First class is also used to mean excellent.She'd never done any decorating before, but she's made a first-class job of the living room.Your work is first class.A first cousin is a child of someone's aunt or uncle.(figurative) CD-ROM is a first cousin of (= is closely related to) music compact discs - information is stored digitally and read with a laser.(dated) A first-degree burn is the least serious type of burn that needs medical treatment.(US) First-degree murder is the most serious type of murder.(ANZ) The First Fleet was the ships that brought the first Europeans to Australia.(ANZ) A first fleeter is someone who is related to a person who travelled in the First Fleet.In British English, the first floor of a building is the floor directly above ground level. In American English, it is the floor at ground level.In a vehicle, first gear (or first) is used when starting to move forward or when moving up a steep hill, providing the wheels with a lot of engine power but not much speed.I failed my driving test because I kept putting the car into third instead of first.Information that is first-hand is obtained directly from its origin.How can you talk about poverty when you've had no first-hand experience of it?These reports of torture have come first-hand from the prisoners.It is difficult to appreciate the scale of the problem without seeing the effects of the famine at first hand.The first fruit of something is the first result of it.The deal to supply each other with car engines is the first fruit of a recent cooperative agreement between the companies.These improvements in quality are the first fruits of our investment.A first lady is a woman whose husband is the political leader of a country or a part of a country.A person's first language is the language they learn from their parents as they are growing up.Her first language is German, but she has lived in Paris since she was five so she speaks extremely good French.First light is the time when the sun first appears in the morning.They had to wait till/until first light to evacuate the wounded to an army hospital.We'll leave at first light.A first mate or first officer is the second most important officer on a ship which is not part of the navy.A person's first name (formal forename US also given name) is the name that they use with people they know well, such as friends and family, and sometimes also to express friendliness or reduce the formality of a situation.It can be rude to call someone by their first name if they are much older or more important than you. Compare Christian name at Christian.If you are on first-name terms with (US also on a first-name basis with) someone, you call each other by your first names, often when you might not expect to because you don't know them very well.The meeting was a great success and by the end of it we were all on first-name terms with each other.The first night (US usually opening night) of a play is the first official time it is performed in public (in a particular place).Our first night in London was a disaster, but New York was much more successful.A first offender is someone who has been officially judged to be guilty of a crime for the first time.Are first offenders treated more leniently than criminals with previous convictions?(UK) First-past-the-post is a voting system in which a person is elected by obtaining more votes than anyone else in the area that they want to represent, whether or not their political party obtains more votes than any other party in the whole of the country.Many people in Britain want to replace first-past-the-post (voting) with proportional representation.The first person is the form of pronouns and verbs people use when speaking or writing about themselves.In English, 'I', 'me', 'my, 'myself' and 'mine' refer to the first person singular, and 'we', 'us', 'our', 'ourselves' and 'ours' refer to the first person plural.Autobiographies are written in the first person.First principles are the basic and most important reasons for doing or believing something.We seem to have forgotten why we're fighting this campaign - we really need to return to first principles.If something is first-rate it is extremely good.The sound quality of compact discs is first-rate.If you have (the) first refusal on something, you have the chance to buy it before it is offered to anyone else.My sister's selling her car and she's offered me first refusal on it.A first strike in a nuclear war is an attack intended to destroy the enemy's ability to fire before they have had an opportunity to do so.(UK) A first-time buyer is someone who is buying their own house or apartment for the first time, esp. by borrowing money from a bank or similar organization.Would tax incentives for first-time buyers help to revive the depressed housing market?The University regrets that it cannot guarantee accommodation to all first-year students.