I Time Noun Bre Fɜːst Fɜːrst Family College

• i was the first in my family to go to college.
• sheila and jim were the first to arrive.
• the first i heard about the wedding (= the first time i became aware of it) was when i saw it in the local paper.
• the first i knew of a problem was around 9.30 a.m. last monday.

first

1. the person or thing that comes or happens before all other similar people or things
• I was the first in my family to go to college.
• Sheila and Jim were the first to arrive.
2. the earliest
• The first I heard about the wedding (= the first time I became aware of it) was when I saw it in the local paper.
• The first I knew of a problem was around 9.30 a.m. last Monday.
3. the most likely
• I'd be the first to admit (= I will most willingly admit) I might be wrong.
• The poorest will be the first to suffer.
• Nurses are often the first to say they feel underappreciated.
4. an important achievement, event, etc., never done or experienced before
• We went on a cruise, a first for both of us.
• two historic firsts
5. the lowest gear on a car, bicycle, etc. that you use when you are moving slowly
• He stuck the car in first and revved.
6. the highest level of university degree at British universities
• compare second1
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/second1_3
• She got a first in maths at Exeter.
7. the person or thing with the highest status in a group
8. from the beginning
• They were attracted to each other from the first.
9. from beginning to end; during the whole time
• It's a fine performance that commands attention from first to last.

Extra Examples

• As he moved into first the gear-lever knob came off in his hand.
• He got a first in modern history.
• It’s very difficult to find first on this car.
• Put the car into first and pull off slowly.
• She did Philosophy and English Literature and got a double first.
• She engaged first gear and pulled off.
• There was something wrong with the gearbox and I had to drive all the way home in first.

Word Origin

• Old English fyr(e)st; of Germanic origin, related to Old Norse fyrstr and German Fürst ‘prince’, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit prathama, Latin primus, and Greek prōtos.