first :the first or highest in an ordering or series
He wanted to be the first
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
first :before anything else
first we must consider the garter snake
first :the first element in a countable series
the first of the month
first :the initial time
when Felix first saw a garter snake
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
first :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
first :before another in time, space, or importance