first edition

noun

: the copies of a literary work first printed from the same type and issued at the same time

also : a single copy from a first edition

Examples of first edition in a Sentence

There were many errors in the book's first edition.

She owns a valuable first edition of Huckleberry Finn.

Recent Examples on the Web

Six years later and the first edition of the Whitbread Round the World Race saw a fleet of ocean-going yachts depart Southampton, England in 1973. — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

The sport mostly got takers for the first edition of this format. — ABC News, 11 Sep. 2026

This first edition, held from November 1–8, will be located in Tokyo’s Jimbocho district, and will pay homage to local jazz history. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 9 Sep. 2026

The first edition of the book was self-published and then was picked up by the multilevel marketing company, Amway, helping propel it to The New York Times bestseller list. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for first edition

• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition
• demolition