First has 21 different meanings across 4 categories:
Noun · Adjective · Adverb · Proper Noun
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 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 rookie shortstop made an incredible throw to First for the final out."
an honours degree of the highest class
"She celebrated her first by accepting a prestigious job offer immediately after graduation."
the lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle; used to start a car moving
"The mechanic advised me to gently press on the gas pedal while holding back slightly before releasing the clutch in first, so the engine wouldn't stall as I pulled away."
The person or thing in the first position.
"After weeks of nonstop shifts, I finally took my first day off to rest."
Time; time granted; respite.
In plain English: The first is the very beginning item in a list or sequence.
"She won the first prize at the competition."
Usage: Use "first" as a noun to refer to a short break or period of relief from work or stress, often in phrases like "take a first." It functions similarly to "a moment" or "a pause" rather than indicating an ordinal position in a sequence.
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"
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"
ranking above all others
"was first in her class"
"the foremost figure among marine artists"
"the top graduate"
highest in pitch or chief among parts or voices or instruments or orchestra sections
"first soprano"
"the first violin section"
"played first horn"
Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest.
"After waiting in line for an hour, we were finally first to get our tickets before the venue sold out."
In plain English: First means coming before everything else in time, order, or importance.
"She was the first person to arrive at the meeting."
Usage: Use "first" to describe the initial item in a sequence or the earliest occurrence of something, such as the first chapter of a book or the first time you visited. Place it directly before the noun it modifies to indicate its position at the beginning.
before anything else
"first we must consider the garter snake"
Before anything else; firstly.
"Before we discuss the budget, I need to address the timeline first."
In plain English: First means doing something before anything else happens.
"She was the first to arrive at the meeting."
Usage: Use "first" as an adverb to indicate that something happens before all other actions or events in a sequence. Place it at the beginning of a sentence or clause to signal the initial step in a list or process.
A surname.
"The First family has lived on that farm for three generations."
The word "first" comes from Old English, where it originally meant "foremost." It traveled into modern English as the superlative form of a root meaning "before," reflecting its core sense of coming before all others.