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first-order

British

adjective

logic quantifying only over individuals and not over predicates or clauses: first-order predicate calculus studies the logical properties of such quantification

"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.

The first-order winners may not be the flashiest robot brands.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

That rationale relies on a first-order analysis that ignores the structural realities of modern, interconnected supply chains.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

Climate functions and first-order cabin controls, like the powered windows and outside mirrors, get their own hard switches.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

Honda's first-order issue is a severe vibration from the engine that has been leading to failures in the battery.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

So a first-order light is built up of rows on rows of prisms so arranged that the light will be refracted from every direction to one point.

From The Boy With the U. S. Life-Savers by Rolt-Wheeler, Francis

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