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Synonyms

first and foremost

Idioms  

  1. Also, first of all. Most important, primarily; also, to begin with. For example, First and foremost, I want to thank our sponsors, or What we need, first and foremost, is a new secretary, or We have to deal, first of all, with the early history. The first term, dating from the late 1300s, is redundant, since first and foremost mean virtually the same thing. Both it and the variant, which dates from the mid-1500s, are used to give emphasis to the initial item in a list of several. Also see first off; first thing.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Though first and foremost a seminarian, Khamenei read widely and kept varied company.

From The Wall Street Journal

But it is, first and foremost, making a faith-based claim.

From Slate

First and foremost, Savannah Guthrie is famous in this subliminal, monocultural way that is unique to celebrities who host network morning shows.

From Slate

Det Insp Matt Bly, from East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said the force's "thoughts first and foremost remain with Mason's family at this difficult time".

From BBC

That strategy, a pillar of Norway’s policy toward the Arctic for decades, has come under strain as the world around it becomes less predictable and its most powerful alliances—first and foremost with the U.S.—are undergoing their biggest stress test to date.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.