foremost
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of foremost
before 1000; fore 1 + -most; replacing Middle English, Old English formest, equivalent to form ( a ) first, variant of fruma (compare Latin prīmus ) + -est -est 1
Explanation
Foremost is an adjective that means holding the highest position or rank. When naming advisors, presidents usually search for the foremost experts on various subjects. If you are the foremost in your profession, you're the expert people will seek out for an opinion. If your foremost concern in a project is money, all other factors are secondary. You can also use this word as an adverb meaning "before anything else." The film, Gone With the Wind, is set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, but first and foremost, it is a love story.
Vocabulary lists containing foremost
Power Prefix: fore-
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Achievement First 8th Grade IA 1 Words
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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.
She was a writer first and foremost, and everything else surrounded that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
"Our thoughts are first and foremost with their families, loved ones, friends, and colleagues."
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Yet it remains, first and foremost, a military tool.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Tickets are sold with or without a drink pairing, but the vibe is that of being invited to a secret society, a meeting of the world’s foremost minds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
“I know how hard y’all have worked on your egg drops,” she continued, “and I want to tell you, first and foremost, you are all winners!”
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
