[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/first.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / first [← F](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/F/) # first «first» in Mova's school dictionary: **before anything or anyone else: first in line** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it. ### part of speech adverb, adjective, determiner; noun (the first; a first — top university grade, UK); pronoun ### meaning for a pupil 1) First means before anything or anyone else: first in line. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#m1) 2) First means number one in order (1st): the first day. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#m2) 3) First can mean at the start, at the beginning: At first I was scared. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#m3) 4) «First» in a race means the winner. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#m4) 5) A first is something never done before: a first for our school. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#m5) 6) (casual) «Bagsy first!», «dibs on first», «me first!» claim the first turn; «first up» (Australia, NZ) means first of all. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#m6) 7) (rough) «First come, first served» and «you snooze, you lose» mean the slow get nothing. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#m7) 8) (formal) The exam voice says «initially», «in the first instance», «at the outset», «primarily», «prior to all else». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#m8) ### sense in the lessons the first step («First decide …»), or the first part of a story, which often gives the starting amount («First Mia had 6 stickers»); in maths ordinal numbers first, second, third (1st, 2nd, 3rd); in safety «first aid», «safety first»; in everyday life «first come, first served», «first thing in the morning», «at first sight»; in casual talk «me first!», «first up»; in the exam voice «initially», «at the outset», «in the first instance» ### examples - First decide: are things coming together, or going away? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x1) - Read the whole problem first, then choose. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x2) - First Mia had 6 stickers, then she got 4 more. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x3) - Sara came first in the race. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x4) - My first tooth fell out today. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x5) - At first the puzzle seemed hard. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x6) - January is the first month of the year. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x7) - Wash your hands first, then eat. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x8) - We learned first aid at school. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x9) - me first! i called it! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x10) - First up, who's had brekkie? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x11) - Initially, Mia possessed 6 stickers; she subsequently acquired 4 additional stickers. Determine the final quantity. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x12) - At first I refused to go. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/#x13) ### note Orders the steps; «first» often gives the starting amount; «initially» and «at the outset» in an exam do the same. No operation clue by itself. Short form «1st». Order words: first, second, third, fourth. Trap: «the first 3 days» counts days 1, 2 and 3. «came first» is a place in a race, not an amount. In a story the first number is not always the start: read for «had», «at first», «initially». ### In the corpora - [One coat of paint often looks patchy, so a second coat is painted on once the first is dry.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/11-when-things-break/13/) - [Mixing two families takes time, and it is normal to find it hard at first.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/16-new-partners-and-step-families/7/) - [Many children call a step-parent by their first name, and it is fine to ask what to call them.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/16-new-partners-and-step-families/12/) - [A midwife is a nurse trained to care for women and babies during pregnancy, birth and the first days after.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/18-were-having-a-baby/16/) - [Asking what will happen first makes it less strange.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/25-funerals-and-remembering/7/) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every meaning and example of «first» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/first/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.