first principle

American

noun

any axiom, law, or abstraction assumed and regarded as representing the highest possible degree of generalization.

first principle British

noun

one of the fundamental assumptions on which a particular theory or procedure is thought to be based
an axiom of a mathematical or scientific theory

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

There are first principles on what makes a career: It’s something you enjoy, that you’re good at and that’s useful to someone else.

From The Wall Street Journal

He will give a speech later about his first principles - his values and his patriotism.

From BBC

“We have to get back to first principles, basic issues, of auditing,” Atkins said at a conference in December.

From The Wall Street Journal

Our first principle, perhaps the most important, is a tribute to my Jewish mother: Meals matter.

From The Wall Street Journal

Jefferson articulated America’s first principles, but without Washington’s leadership, those principles wouldn’t have survived.

From The Wall Street Journal

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