foremost

1 of 2

adjective

fore·​most ˈfȯr-ˌmōst How to pronounce foremost (audio)
1
: first in a series or progression
Safety is their foremost concern.
2
: of first rank or position : preeminent
He is the foremost authority on the American Civil War period.

foremost

2 of 2

adverb

1
: in the first place
2
: most importantly
first and foremost

Examples of foremost in a Sentence

Adjective Albert Einstein is regarded by many as the foremost figure of the 20th century. wanted to speak to the foremost supervisor in our department
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The 2019 Nationals aren’t even the foremost road warriors of the last few years. Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025 Olivier Wenden is Vice Chairman & CEO, Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, one of the world’s foremost philanthropic institutions dedicated to environmental conservation. Olivier Wenden, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025
Adverb
Tonal just launched its first reformer-style Pilates classes taught by the one and only Kristin McGee, who designed them with midlife women foremost in mind. Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 17 Oct. 2025 Plenty of clubs, Chelsea perhaps foremost, have spent small bounties of their own on changing their manager or head coach. Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for foremost

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Adverb

Middle English formest, from Old English, superlative of forma first; akin to Old High German fruma advantage, Old English fore fore

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of foremost was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Foremost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foremost. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

foremost

adjective
fore·​most
-ˌmōst
: first in time, place, or order : most important
foremost adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on foremost

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