1
as in initial
coming before all others in time or order
the much-studied first—and last—voyage of the Titanic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in main
coming before all others in importance
there are a number of reasons we can't go, but the first is that we don't have the money
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in foremost
highest in rank or authority
auditioned and got first clarinet in the band
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in instead
as a substitute
eat peas? I'd eat cockroaches first
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in rather
by choice or preference
we will not give in, but will fight for our freedom first
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of first
Ian King, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Amenities and experiences The banner amenity here is Sastra, which claims to be Colombia's first longevity club.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 1 June 2026
Building physical intelligence At the center of the announcement is Cosmos 3, which NVIDIA describes as the world’s first fully open omnimodel capable of understanding and generating text, images, video, ambient sound, and actions within a single system.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for first
Adjective
In winning their first league title in 22 years — and their 14th overall — Arsenal became the third different club to lift the trophy in as many seasons, following Liverpool in 2024-25 and Manchester City in 2023-24.
—Ian King, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Amenities and experiences The banner amenity here is Sastra, which claims to be Colombia's first longevity club.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
Adverb
Vote-by-mail ballots and early voting ballots normally are counted first, even before election day, but the results cannot be reported until after the polls close, according to the California Secretary of State website.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 1 June 2026
Building physical intelligence At the center of the announcement is Cosmos 3, which NVIDIA describes as the world’s first fully open omnimodel capable of understanding and generating text, images, video, ambient sound, and actions within a single system.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for first
Recent Examples of Synonyms for first
Adjective
-
Participants underwent an initial baseline assessment and were assigned individualized vagus nerve stimulation protocols designed by Pulsetto’s clinical team.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
-
Trump’s initial director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, resigned last month, citing her husband’s recent cancer diagnosis.—
Josh Boak,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Kevin Cook, the venue’s main host and inarguably the reigning queen of drag in Portland.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
Pashinyan’s main rival is the Strong Armenia Party, which wants closer business ties with Russia and accuses Pashinyan of attempting to spark a war with Moscow.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
Silverman, who leads one of the world’s foremost corporate investigations and risk advisory firms, calls that a category error.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 June 2026
-
Karen Martin, a professor of biology at Pepperdine University and foremost expert on the creatures, will be in attendance, as will retired State Parks ranger Jim Serpa, who ran the program for three decades and helped resurrect it a few years ago.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
1 June 2026
Adverb
-
The Tigers would head to the Sugar Bowl by way of conference tie-ins, and while another top-10 victory over Virginia Tech in New Orleans would sway several other pollsters to rank Auburn as the top team in the land, the big ones that counted awarded the Trojans with the crystal football instead.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
-
But the officers descend upon an innocent Black man standing nearby instead.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Adverb
-
And using both words does not reveal that a person is ignorant but rather cosmopolitan.—
Kirk Bowman,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
-
While Kittle gets back up to full speed and rather relies so much again on running back Christian McCaffrey’s receiving ability, the 49ers added beyond Evans by signing Christian Kirk and drafting De’Zhaun Stribling.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
The 92-year old performer will be honored Saturday in Sherrill with the inaugural marker on the new Arkansas River Delta Blues Trail.—
Sean Clancy,
Arkansas Online,
4 June 2026
-
Star photojournalist Emily Curiel captured the inaugural concert and crowds taking in the new venue.—
Emily Curiel
June 4,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
California State Controller primary election results The California State Controller is the state's chief accountant, maintaining the state's financial condition and conducting audits on state funds.—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
As an independent business, FedEx Freight is the LTL market leader in annual revenue, surpassing chief rivals including Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL), Estes Express Lines and XPO.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
2 June 2026
Adverb
-
However, history tells us that the first thing that Hollywood tries to do with a blockbuster is figure out not only how to do it again but to also turn it into a reliable pipeline — preferably one that can start to deliver in Q4 2027.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
2 June 2026
-
Everyone is either a performer — preferably a star — or an audience member.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“First.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/first. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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