first come, first served

Cultural  

1. Those who are first to arrive will be the first to be waited on.

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first come, first served Idioms  

1. Those who precede others will have their needs attended to earliest, as in So many people showed up that we may not have enough food to go around, so let it be “first come, first served.” The idea is very old, but the first recorded use of this precise phrase was in 1545. Also see early bird catches the worm.

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Example Sentences

The airline announced last summer that it would do away with its open seating policy, a decades-long practice that allowed customers to select seats on a first come, first served basis.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2025

Letting agent Finders Keepers said it was "launching" its student accommodation at 09:00 GMT on Tuesday, with applications accepted on a "first come, first served" basis.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2024

To impose some order on the chaos, the newcomers embedded in the state’s emerging water laws a cherished frontier principle: first come, first served.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 17, 2023

Some member countries support reviewing applications on a first come first served basis, which would put China first, while others want to focus on the best application.

From Reuters • Jul. 14, 2023

Skeezie: Has that bozo who took our order never heard of first come, first served?

From "The Misfits" by James Howe