first - Definition from Longman English Dictionary Online

first
3 noun

first3

at first

used to talk about the beginning of a situation, especially when it is different now:

At first, Gregory was shy and hardly spoke.

I felt quite disappointed at first.

2 [countable usually singular] something that has never happened or been done before

first for

The 3-0 defeat was a first for the team.

These results are firsts in the history of women's athletics.

'I think he'll agree to it.' 'That will be a first.'

from the beginning of a situation:

I was against the idea from the first.

I should have known from the first that the relationship would never work.

4 [countable] the highest mark you can get in a university degree in Britain:

5 [uncountable] the lowest gear in a car or other vehicle, that you use when moving slowly [= first gear]

in first

You should be in first on a hill like this.

He put the car into first and roared away.

Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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first³ noun