The first thing, event, or person of a particular kind is the one that comes before all the others.
If you want to emphasize that a thing, event, or person is the first one of their kind, you can put very in front of first.
If an event happens before other events, you say that it happens first.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'firstly' with this meaning. Don't say, for example, 'Rani spoke firstly'.
You can use first or firstly to introduce the first point in a discussion, the first of a series of questions or instructions, or the first item in a list.
If you want to emphasize that an item is the first one you are going to mention, you can say first of all.
Be Careful!
Don't say 'firstly of all'.
When you are contrasting feelings or actions at the beginning of an event with ones that came later, you say at first.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'firstly' in sentences like these.
Noun | 1. | ![]() former - the first of two or the first mentioned of two; "Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today" rank - relative status; "his salary was determined by his rank and seniority" |
2. | first - the first element in a countable series; "the first of the month" | |
3. | first - 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" birth - the time when something begins (especially life); "they divorced after the birth of the child"; "his election signaled the birth of a new age" incipience, incipiency - beginning to exist or to be apparent; "he placed the incipience of democratic faith at around 1850"; "it is designed to arrest monopolies in their incipiency" point in time, point - an instant of time; "at that point I had to leave" starting point, terminus a quo - earliest limiting point threshold - the starting point for a new state or experience; "on the threshold of manhood" | |
4. | first - 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) position - (in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player; "what position does he play?" baseball team - a team that plays baseball | |
5. | first - an honours degree of the highest class honours, honours degree - a university degree with honors double first - a first-class honours degree in two subjects Britain, Great Britain, U.K., UK, United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom | |
6. | ![]() auto, automobile, car, motorcar, machine - a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine; "he needs a car to get to work" gear mechanism, gear - a mechanism for transmitting motion for some specific purpose (as the steering gear of a vehicle) | |
Adj. | 1. | first - 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" front - relating to or located in the front; "the front lines"; "the front porch" early - at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time; "early morning"; "an early warning"; "early diagnosis"; "an early death"; "took early retirement"; "an early spring"; "early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties" original - being or productive of something fresh and unusual; or being as first made or thought of; "a truly original approach"; "with original music"; "an original mind" primary - of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondary; "primary goals"; "a primary effect"; "primary sources"; "a primary interest" last - coming after all others in time or space or degree or being the only one remaining; "the last time I saw Paris"; "the last day of the month"; "had the last word"; "waited until the last minute"; "he raised his voice in a last supreme call"; "the last game of the season"; "down to his last nickel" |
2. | ![]() ordinal - being or denoting a numerical order in a series; "ordinal numbers"; "held an ordinal rank of seventh" | |
3. | ![]() opening - first or beginning; "the memorable opening bars of Beethoven's Fifth"; "the play's opening scene" | |
4. | ![]() opening - first or beginning; "the memorable opening bars of Beethoven's Fifth"; "the play's opening scene" | |
5. | first - ranking above all others; "was first in her class"; "the foremost figure among marine artists"; "the top graduate" best - (superlative of `good') having the most positive qualities; "the best film of the year"; "the best solution"; "the best time for planting"; "wore his best suit" | |
6. | first - highest in pitch or chief among parts or voices or instruments or orchestra sections; "first soprano"; "the first violin section"; "played first horn" music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner second - a part or voice or instrument or orchestra section lower in pitch than or subordinate to the first; "second flute"; "the second violins" | |
Adv. | 1. | first - before anything else; "first we must consider the garter snake" |
2. | first - the initial time; "when Felix first saw a garter snake" | |
3. | first - before another in time, space, or importance; "I was here first"; "let's do this job first" | |
4. | first - prominently forward; "he put his best foot foremost" |