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

See Examples For:

first and foremost

A key point to watch will be cabinet posts: “For investors, first and foremost would be who would lead the Ministry of Finance,” GS’s Alberto Ramos and Panteleymon Semka said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Dmitriev said the act would have caused "serious damage first and foremost to the US economy and global markets".

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Yeah, to me, first and foremost, if you’re going to another country, you gotta respect that country’s rules and regulations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

A fan first and foremost, but someone who has spent almost three decades working for the club.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

But this one really irked her, and it wasn’t the texting and driving piece, at least not first and foremost.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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Related Words

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

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