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.

---

Example Sentences

It’s not trivializing this summit or missing the point, I would argue, to understand it as first and foremost a semiotic spectacle, conducted through language, symbols and signifiers.

From Salon • May 17, 2026

“The two things that consumers notice and complain about first and foremost are rises in food and fuel prices. Yet, in this case, they continue to spend because they have the money to do so.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

There is a bizarre universe built around the prestige and untouchability of the court that is first and foremost perpetuated by the people on the court.

From Slate • May 13, 2026

Even as a multi-hyphenate, I always say I’m first and foremost a battle rapper.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

The Scientific Revolution was, first and foremost, a revolt by the mathematicians against the authority of the philosophers.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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