first law
noun
: the most important principle
He teaches his students that balance is the first law of architecture.
Examples of first law in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ultimately, love, like energy in the first law of thermodynamics, is not quite created or destroyed, but acquires a new form.
—
Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Permit to purchase is no longer required to buy a firearm.
2016: Stand Your Ground
Stand Your Ground, which first entered the national scene in 2005 when the Florida legislature passed the first law of its kind, and permitless concealed carry became law in Missouri.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 16 Feb. 2024
In particular, there have been complaints that Newton’s first law is circular.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2023
The 37-year-old legislator in Brazil’s southern city of Porto Alegre passed the country’s first law in November that was written entirely by ChatGPT, the artificial-intelligence chatbot developed by the San Francisco startup OpenAI.
—Samantha Pearson, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2023
Courts have issued mixed rulings, with the nation's first law, in Arkansas, struck down by a federal judge who said the ban on care violated the due process rights of transgender youth and their families.
—CBS News, 10 Jan. 2024
In 2021, South Korea passed the world’s first law to require tech giants to offer alternative payment systems on their apps stores.
—Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023
Researchers have made a breakthrough in applying the first law of thermodynamics to complex systems.
—Jackie Appel, Popular Mechanics, 24 Feb. 2023
In 2020 Oregon voters approved Measure 110, the nation’s first law decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs, including fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamines.
—Sally Satel and Kevin Sabet, WSJ, 4 Jan. 2024
Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Permit to purchase is no longer required to buy a firearm.
2016: Stand Your Ground
Stand Your Ground, which first entered the national scene in 2005 when the Florida legislature passed the first law of its kind, and permitless concealed carry became law in Missouri.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 16 Feb. 2024
In particular, there have been complaints that Newton’s first law is circular.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2023
The 37-year-old legislator in Brazil’s southern city of Porto Alegre passed the country’s first law in November that was written entirely by ChatGPT, the artificial-intelligence chatbot developed by the San Francisco startup OpenAI.
—Samantha Pearson, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2023
Courts have issued mixed rulings, with the nation's first law, in Arkansas, struck down by a federal judge who said the ban on care violated the due process rights of transgender youth and their families.
—CBS News, 10 Jan. 2024
In 2021, South Korea passed the world’s first law to require tech giants to offer alternative payment systems on their apps stores.
—Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023
Researchers have made a breakthrough in applying the first law of thermodynamics to complex systems.
—Jackie Appel, Popular Mechanics, 24 Feb. 2023
In 2020 Oregon voters approved Measure 110, the nation’s first law decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs, including fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamines.
—Sally Satel and Kevin Sabet, WSJ, 4 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'first law.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near first law
Cite this Entry
“First law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first%20law. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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