first edition
Americannoun
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the whole number of copies of a literary work printed first, from the same type, and issued together.
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an individual copy from this number.
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the first printing of a newspaper for a given date.
Etymology
Origin of first edition
First recorded in 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Monroe owned a first edition and kept it in her car, sometimes reading it aloud to herself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
The climate-threatened Pacific nation of Tuvalu was also named as host of next year's conference with Ireland in what was seen as a crucial signal that the momentum would carry on beyond the first edition.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
Jane Magnusson recalled rescuing a first edition of Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” that her mother might otherwise have discarded or given to a stranger.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Tom Pidcock launched a late attack to win the Milano-Torino race on the 150th anniversary of the first edition of the world's oldest classic.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
I put the first edition of Jane Eyre back on the shelf, and slid all three books in carefully because I guess it was all-fired important.
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
