first
1. the first or highest in an ordering or series (Freq. 9)
- He wanted to be the first
• Syn:
number one
• Hypernyms:
rank
• Hyponyms:
former
2. the first element in a countable series (Freq. 5)
- the first of the month
• Syn:
number one, number 1
• Hypernyms:
ordinal number, ordinal, no.
3. the time at which something is supposed to begin (Freq. 1)
- they got an early start
- she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her
• Syn:
beginning, commencement, outset, get-go, start,
kickoff, starting time, showtime, offset
• Ant:
middle (for: beginning), end (for: beginning)
• Derivationally related forms:
kick off (for: kickoff), start (for: start)
• Hypernyms:
point, point in time
• Hyponyms:
birth, incipiency, incipience, terminus a quo, starting point, threshold
4. 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) (Freq. 1)
• Syn:
first base
• Hypernyms:
position
• Member Holonyms:
baseball team
5. an honours degree of the highest class
• Syn:
first-class honours degree
• Regions:
United Kingdom, UK, U.K., Britain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Great Britain
• Hypernyms:
honours, honours degree
• Hyponyms:
double first
6. the lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle;
used to start a car moving
• Syn:
first gear, low gear, low
• Hypernyms:
gear, gear mechanism
• Part Holonyms:
car, auto, automobile, machine, motorcar
1. preceding all others in time or space or degree (Freq. 232)
- 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
• Ant:
last
• Similar to:
archetypal, archetypical, prototypal, prototypic, prototypical,
basic, introductory, initial, firstborn, eldest, freshman,
first-year, original, premier, premiere, prime
• See Also:
early, front, original, primary
2. indicating the beginning unit in a series (Freq. 61)
• Syn:
1st
• Similar to:
ordinal
3. serving to set in motion (Freq. 4)
- 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
• Syn:
inaugural, initiative, initiatory, maiden
• Similar to:
opening
• Derivationally related forms:
initiate (for: initiatory), initiate (for: initiative)
4. serving to begin (Freq. 4)
- the beginning canto of the poem
- the first verse
• Syn:
beginning
• Similar to:
opening
5. ranking above all others (Freq. 3)
- was first in her class
- the foremost figure among marine artists
- the top graduate
• Syn:
foremost, world-class
• Similar to:
best
6. highest in pitch or chief among parts or voices or instruments or orchestra sections
- first soprano
- the first violin section
- played first horn
• Ant:
second
• Topics:
music
1. before anything else (Freq. 58)
- first we must consider the garter snake
• Syn:
firstly, foremost, first of all, first off
2. the initial time (Freq. 40)
- when Felix first saw a garter snake
• Syn:
for the first time
3. before another in time, space, or importance (Freq. 9)
- I was here first
- let's do this job first
4. prominently forward (Freq. 4)
- he put his best foot foremost
• Syn:
foremost
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