first and foremost

Idioms  

1. Also, first of all. Most important, primarily; also, to begin with. For example, First and foremost, I want to thank our sponsors, or What we need, first and foremost, is a new secretary, or We have to deal, first of all, with the early history. The first term, dating from the late 1300s, is redundant, since first and foremost mean virtually the same thing. Both it and the variant, which dates from the mid-1500s, are used to give emphasis to the initial item in a list of several. Also see first off; first thing.

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Example Sentences

Grace Kao, a sociology professor at Yale University, said that while it features collaborations with Western songwriters and producers, the title works to "remind international fans that BTS is, first and foremost, a Korean group".

From Barron's

"As a golfer, a Ryder Cup being in England, first and foremost, would be something special," he said.

From BBC

“I had an incredible, incredible time with Sarah, with all the cast and crew doing this. We, first and foremost, see ourselves as the guardians of the original show,” the “Hamnet” filmmaker told Variety on Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times

In the letter, Spier thanks his “best teachers,” a pantheon of value investors including, “first and foremost,” Buffett and his late partner Charlie Munger, as well as Lou Simpson External link, Tom Russo, Peter Cundill, Tom Gayner, Nick Sleep, Mohnish Pabrai, and Li Lu, and firms Ruane Cunniff and Tweedy Browne.

From Barron's

First and foremost: You are in good health.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• basically
• chiefly
• generally
• importantly
• largely
• mostly
• notably
• particularly
• predominantly