first language
Britishnoun
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.
It’s a really fast-moving show, and if English is not your first language, like for my parents, then it’s quite hard to follow along.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
Some were less comfortable with the possibility of false positives, since there are often autistic people, or users whose first language isn’t English, whose writing styles are stigmatized as A.I.-like.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
Oliver grew up in a deaf family where BSL was his first language so he "didn't feel the need" to get a hearing aid or a cochlear implant.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
Martin Van Buren, the first president to be born a U.S. citizen, spoke Dutch as his first language, as did Sojourner Truth.
From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026
I knew English wasn’t their first language and had real doubts about how much they were even following what I said, but when I finished, they erupted into vigorous applause.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
