1 first /ˈfɚst/ adjective Learner's definition of FIRST
1
: coming before all others in time, order, or importance第一的；最先的；首要的 -
She won first prize.她赢得了头等奖。
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We sat in the first row.我们坐在第一排。
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his first wife他的第一任妻子
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her first book/child她的第一本书/第一个孩子
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in the first century在公元1世纪
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his first offense他的初犯
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her first kiss她的初吻
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She succeeded on her first attempt/try.她第一次尝试就成功了。
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He was (the) first in line.他排在队列的第一个。
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We will correct these errors at the first opportunity. [=as soon as it is possible to do so]我们将在第一时间纠正这些错误。
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English is not my first [=native] language. [=it is not the language I learned first; I learned to speak another language before I learned to speak English]英语不是我的第一语言。
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She's in first grade. [=the first level in school after kindergarten]她读小学一年级。
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I still remember the first time I saw her.我仍然记得第一次见到她的情景。
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You should leave at the first [=earliest] hint of trouble.一旦见势不妙，你就马上离开。
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My first [=initial] impulse was to say no.我的第一个念头就是拒绝。
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This is a matter of the first [=highest] importance.这是最重要的问题。
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Your first [=main] concern should be to get well.你要考虑的首要问题应该是恢复健康。
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the captain and the first mate [=the officer on a ship who is most important after the captain]船长和大副
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She was accused of murder in the first degree. [=first-degree murder; the most serious kind of murder]她被指控一级谋杀罪。
2
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used to refer to the lowest forward gear or speed of a vehicle汽车的第一挡；最低速挡 3
: having or playing the main part in a group of instruments（乐团）首席的，主声部的
at first blush
or at first glance also at first sight
: when first seen or considered乍一看；乍一想 -
At first blush, the proposal seems ridiculous.乍一看，这个提议似乎很荒唐。
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It appears at first glance/sight to be a simple matter of hiring more people.乍一看，这似乎只是个多雇些人的简单问题。
first among equals
◊ A person who is first among equals is the leader of a group of people but is officially considered equal in rights and status to the other members of the group.与小组其他成员权利和地位平等的首领
first thing
1
the first thing : anything at all任何一件事—
used in negative statements用于否定句 2
: before anything else : right away : very early首先；马上；一早
first things first
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used to say that you should do the things that are most important before doing other things要事先办 -
I know you're eager to start shopping for a car, but first things first—you need to find out how much you can afford to spend.我知道你急着买车，不过事情要分个轻重缓急，你得先清楚自己能付多少钱。
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You must set priorities and learn how to put first things first.你必须分清主次，学会如何将重要的事情放在首位。
in the first flush of
— see 1flush
in the first place
— see 1place
love at first sight
— see 1love 2 first /ˈfɚst/ adverb
Learner's definition of FIRST
1
a : before any other in time, order, or importance首先；最初；在首位 -
I have to pay him first.我首先得付他钱。
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She finished first in the race. = She came in first in the race. = (Brit) She came first in the race.她在赛跑中得了第一名。
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You go first.你先走。
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He said it first.是他先说的。
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These problems are not as simple as they first appear.这些问题不像它们刚刚出现时那么简单。
b : for the first time第一次；首次 -
I loved her when I first saw her.我第一眼看见她就爱上她了。
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We met first at a party. = We first met at a party.我们初次见面是在一次聚会上。
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This word was first recorded in the 19th century.这个词语在19世纪被首次记录。
c : before doing other things（在做其他事情之前）先 2
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used to introduce a statement that is the first in a series of statements首先，第一（用于引出一系列陈述） -
First, let me explain my reasons for calling this meeting.首先，请让我说明一下召集这次会议的原因。
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I want to talk about several things in this meeting. First, the schedule. Second,…这次会议，我想要谈几件事。首先是议程。其次…
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often used in the phrases first of all and first off常用于短语first of all和first off -
Let me explain, first of all, why I called this meeting.首先，请让我说明一下召集这次会议的原因。
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First off, there's some confusion we have to clear up.首先，有些疑惑我必须澄清。
come first
: to be more important than other things首要；首先要考虑的
first and foremost
: at the most basic level首先；首要的是
first and last
: at the most basic level : in all respects总的来说；从各方面看
first come, first served
or first come, first serve
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used to say that the people who arrive earliest get served or treated before the people who arrive later先来先接待；先来先供应；按先来后到的原则 -
The campsites are first come, first served, so we'd better get there early. = The campsites are assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis, so we'd better get there early.露营帐篷搭建地是先到先得，所以我们最好早点到那儿。
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“Aren't there any cookies left?” “Sorry—first come, first served.”“还有饼干吗？”“对不起，已经没了，先来先得。”
3 first /ˈfɚst/ noun
plural firsts
plural firsts
Learner's definition of FIRST
1
: something that is first首次出现的事物: such as
a [count] : an occurrence, achievement, etc., that happens or exists before any other of that kind首创；先河；创举 b [noncount] : the position of the winner in a competition or contest冠军；状元；第一名 c [noncount] : the lowest forward gear or speed of a car, truck, etc.（车辆的）最低速挡，第一挡 d [count] : a degree of the highest level from a British university（英国大学的）一等成绩学位
at first
: when something first happens or begins to happen : when you first notice or consider something一开始的时候；起初 -
We didn't like each other at first. [=when we met]起初我们并不喜欢彼此。
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At first I thought she was crying, but then I realized she was actually laughing.一开始，我以为她在哭，但后来发现她其实是在笑。
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The book bored me at first. [=initially]这本书我刚开始读的时候觉得没意思。
4 first /ˈfɚst/ pronoun
Learner's definition of FIRST
1
: the first one or ones第一个；第一批 -
They were among the first in line.他们在列队的最前面。
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It was the first of many delays.这是被耽搁的多件事中的第一件。
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I'll be the first to admit when I've done something wrong.如果做错了事，我会是第一个承认错误的人。
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He was the first to arrive.他最先到达。
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She was born on the first of May. [=on May 1]她生于五月一日。
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The son of King Charles the First became King Charles the Second.国王查理一世的儿子成为了查理二世。