first come, first served
first come, first serve
Definition of first come, first served
—used to say that the people who arrive earliest get served or treated before the people who arrive later The campsites are first come, first served, so we'd better get there early. The campsites are assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis. “Aren't there any cookies left?” “Sorry—first come, first served.”
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Word by Word Definitions
: preceding all others in time, order, or importance: such as
: earliest
: being the lowest forward gear or speed of a motor vehicle
: before another in time, space, or importance
: for the first time
: in preference to something else : sooner
: something that is first: such as
: the first occurrence or item of a kind
: the first forward gear or speed of a motor vehicle
: to move toward something : approach
: to move or journey to a vicinity with a specified purpose
: to reach a particular station in a series
: the act or action of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games (such as volleyball, badminton, or tennis)
: a turn to serve
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