first-generation
Americanadjective
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being the first generation of a family to be born in a particular country.
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being a naturalized citizen of a particular country; immigrant.
the child of first-generation Americans.
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.
Alvarez said many students are “working adults, parents, caregivers, and first-generation students who are rooted in their communities and cannot relocate or commute long distances to earn a degree.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
So far, however, researchers have demonstrated this principle only with ordinary matter or first-generation antimatter.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
The proposed tax rules would allow schools to continue to use nonracial criteria, including family income, geography or first-generation college status.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
It lets institutions continue to support underprivileged students as long as those efforts use “race-neutral criteria such as family income, geographic location, first-generation status, individual hardship, military family status, or academic achievement.”
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
NYU has accepted me with scholarships, with the condition of participating in a special study and pilot program for first-generation college students.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
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.
