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

See Examples For:

first come, first served

Seating is first come, first served, but guests can purchase a reserved spot to guarantee a prime spot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Indoor seating is reserved at $25 a head, while the outdoor courtyard is first come, first served.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

The £650m of grant money will be awarded on a first come first served basis.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2025

And the overhead bins are first come, first served.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 19, 2024

The rule was first come, first served, and there had been another call on the border collie.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen