Phrase guide

first of all

adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adv

Meaning 1

Firstly; before anything else.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, not-comparable, sequence

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

before anything else

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • first we must consider the garter snake

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: first, firstly, foremost, first off

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

74 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: Ne Fillim — before anything else
  • Arabic: أَوَّلًا (ʔawwalan) — before anything else
  • Arabic: قَبْلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ (qabla kulli šayʔin) — before anything else
  • Arabic: بَادِئَ ذِي بَدْءٍ (bādiʔa ḏī badʔin) — before anything else
  • Aromanian: ntãnj — before anything else
  • Aromanian: ntãnjiu — before anything else
  • Azerbaijani: ilk olaraq — before anything else
  • Azerbaijani: əvvəla — before anything else
  • Azerbaijani: öncəliklə — before anything else
  • Azerbaijani: ilk növbədə — before anything else
  • Bashkir: иң тәүҙә (iñ təwźə) — before anything else
  • Bashkir: иң башта (iñ başta) — before anything else
  • Bashkir: беренсенән (berensenən) — before anything else
  • Belarusian: перш за ўсё (pjerš za wsjo) — before anything else
  • Central Bikol: inot sa gabos — before anything else
  • Chinese Mandarin: 首先 (shǒuxiān) — before anything else
  • Crimean Tatar: er şeyden evel — before anything else
  • Crimean Tatar: eñ evelâ — before anything else
  • Dutch: in de eerste plaats — before anything else
  • Dutch: bovenal — before anything else
  • Dutch: om te beginnen — before anything else
  • Dutch: ten eerste — before anything else
  • Finnish: ensiksi — before anything else
  • Finnish: ennen muuta — before anything else
  • French: tout d’abord — before anything else
  • French: en premier lieu — before anything else
  • French: avant toutes choses — before anything else
  • German: zunächst — before anything else
  • German: zuallererst — before anything else
  • Gothic: 𐌹𐌽 𐍆𐍂𐌿𐌼𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌼 (in frumistjam) — before anything else
  • Greek: πρώτα απ’ όλα (próta ap’ óla) — before anything else
  • Hebrew: קודם כל — before anything else
  • Hindi: प्रथमतः (prathamtaḥ) — before anything else
  • Hungarian: elsősorban — before anything else
  • Hungarian: mindenekelőtt — before anything else
  • Ingrian: enstää — before anything else
  • Ingrian: ensti — before anything else
  • Ingrian: ensiks — before anything else
  • Italian: innanzitutto — before anything else
  • Italian: prima di tutto — before anything else
  • Italian: per prima cosa — before anything else
  • Italian: come prima cosa — before anything else
  • Italian: primariamente — before anything else
  • Italian: in primo luogo — before anything else
  • Italian: anzitutto — before anything else
  • Italian: in primis — before anything else
  • Japanese: 先ず (mazu) — before anything else
  • Korean: 우선 (useon) — before anything else
  • Polish: przede wszystkim — before anything else
  • Polish: najpierw — before anything else
  • Polish: po pierwsze — before anything else
  • Portuguese: primeiro de tudo — before anything else
  • Portuguese: antes de mais nada — before anything else
  • Portuguese: antes de tudo — before anything else
  • Portuguese: em primeiro lugar — before anything else
  • Romanian: întâi — before anything else
  • Romanian: mai întâi — before anything else
  • Romanian: înainte de toate — before anything else
  • Russian: пре́жде всего́ (préžde vsevó) — before anything else
  • Spanish: en primer lugar — before anything else
  • Spanish: ante todo — before anything else
  • Spanish: antes que nada — before anything else
  • Spanish: antes de nada — before anything else
  • Spanish: antes de todo — before anything else
  • Spanish: antes que todo — before anything else
  • Spanish: para empezar — before anything else
  • Tagalog: una sa lahat — before anything else
  • Tamil: முதலில் (mutalil) — before anything else
  • Udmurt: нырысь ик (nyryś ik) — before anything else
  • Ukrainian: перш за все (perš za vse) — before anything else
  • Ukrainian: передусім (peredusim) — before anything else
  • Vietnamese: trước hết — before anything else
  • Vietnamese: trước nhất — before anything else
  • Vietnamese: trước tiên — before anything else