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

“If you’re exploring where we are and how we got here ... that has a first and last name,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026

“Welcome to the first and last ever Schifferle versus Fleming Family Olympics, where we will be competing for one grand prize,” he announced.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

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

“Please enter your first and last names and, when you have done so, tap ‘Join Game.’

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

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