Definitions

first

[furst] / fɜrst /

ADJECTIVE

earliest in order

Synonyms

STRONGEST

early

STRONG

aboriginal antecedent anterior basic beginning cardinal front fundamental head inaugural initial key leading opening original pioneer premier primary prime primitive

WEAK

elementary first off headmost in the beginning inceptive incipient introductory lead off number one numero uno primeval primogenial primordial pristine right up front rudimentary

Antonyms

STRONGEST

last

STRONG

ending extra final following second

ADJECTIVE

highest in importance

Synonyms

STRONG

arch champion chief dominant foremost head leading main premier primary prime primo principal ranking ruling sovereign

WEAK

A number one advanced eminent first-class first-string greatest head of the line number one outstanding paramount predominant preeminent supreme top of the list top-flight

Antonyms

STRONG

auxiliary inessential inferior least minor secondary subordinate trivial unimportant unnecessary

ADVERB

at the beginning

Synonyms

STRONGEST

initially originally

WEAK

ahead at the outset before all else beforehand in the first place to begin with to start with

Antonyms

WEAK

finally last

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Net income for the first quarter ending April 30 came in at $5.3 billion, up 18.8 percent from the year-ago period.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Recent graduates starting full-time jobs may find that it’s not difficult to waste their first paycheck.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

Analyst Andy Bowley highlights Mainfreight’s very tough start to FY26, with pretax profit for its first 17 weeks falling 24%.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

“My mom was not skeptical but confused,” Johnny said when he first started learning cricket years ago.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Our eyes met for the first time since she’d sat down.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

first

Example Sentences

Related Words