First definition: being before all others with respect to time, order, rank, importance, etc., used as the ordinal number of one: the first edition; the first vice president.. See examples of FIRST used in a sentence. Learn the meaning, pronunciation, and usage of the word first as an ordinal number, adjective, adverb, noun, and more. Compare different dictionaries and examples of first in various contexts. first (no comparative, superlative firstmost) Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest. quotations Learn the meaning and usage of the word first as an ordinal number, determiner, adverb, noun, and music term. Find examples, idioms, synonyms, and translations of first in different languages.