first and last

Idioms  

1. Under all circumstances, always, as in She was an artist first and last. (For a synonym, see above all.) This expression, first recorded in 1589, should not be confused with the similar-sounding from first to last, which means “from start to finish” or “throughout,” as in We cheered them on from first to last.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

first and last

Bread is the first and last defense against sogginess, which is why sturdy loaves — focaccia, baguettes, bâtards, Italian bread — shine in beach-sandwich applications.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

"I had a surge of patriotism and wanted to change my documents and get a Tajik first and last name, without the '-ov' ending," Alisher Rustamov, a Tajik who works in Russia, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

Ronaldo and Messi share the longest gap between a player's first and last goal in the history of the World Cup at 20 years 11 days.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

It was the first and last time Copi ever spoke to Davis, but he would go on to photograph him eight times in total.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

This is not just a piece of Tris’s mother, recovered; it’s one of the first and last honest glimpses Tris will ever get of who Natalie Prior was.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth