first in WordNet English dictionary

1. indicating the beginning unit in a series
   first  1st 
   
2. serving to begin
   "the beginning canto of the poem"; "the first verse"
   beginning  first 
   
3. preceding all others in time or space or degree
   "the first house on the right"; "the first day of spring"; "his first political race"; "her first baby"; "the first time"; "the first meetings of the new party"; "the first phase of his training"
   first 
   
4. highest in pitch or chief among parts or voices or instruments or orchestra sections
   "first soprano"; "the first violin section"; "played first horn"
   first 
   
5. ranking above all others
   "was first in her class"; "the foremost figure among marine artists"; "the top graduate"
   first  foremost  world-class 
   
6. serving to set in motion
   "the magazine's inaugural issue"; "the initiative phase in the negotiations"; "an initiatory step toward a treaty"; "his first (or maiden) speech in Congress"; "the liner's maiden voyage"
   inaugural  initiative  initiatory  first  maiden 
   

1. the time at which something is supposed to begin
   "they got an early start"; "she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her"
   beginning  commencement  first  outset  get-go  start  kickoff  starting time  showtime  offset 
   
2. the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed at first of the bases in the infield (counting counterclockwise from home plate)
   first base  first 
   
3. the lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle; used to start a car moving
   first gear  first  low gear  low 
   
4. an honours degree of the highest class
   first  first-class honours degree 
   
5. the first element in a countable series
   "the first of the month"
   first  number one  number 1 
   
6. the first or highest in an ordering or series
   "He wanted to be the first"
   first  number one 
   

1. before anything else
   "first we must consider the garter snake"
   first  firstly  foremost  first of all  first off  first  firstly  foremost  first of all  first off 
   
2. prominently forward
   "he put his best foot foremost"
   foremost  first  foremost  first 
   
3. the initial time
   "when Felix first saw a garter snake"
   first  for the first time  first  for the first time 
   
4. before another in time, space, or importance
   "I was here first"; "let's do this job first"
   first  first