first of all

Idioms  

1. see first and foremost.

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Example Sentences

My key focus is, first of all, to build a company that can exist as an independent company that delivers long-term, durable, sustainable growth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

They tell hikers, first of all, to stay on the marked trails.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

You have to, first of all, for PR purposes, make everybody think they’re going to be accountable for everything going forward.

From Slate • Feb. 17, 2026

And I'm very, very, thankful that first of all, I'm healthy, had healthy people around me, and in the future, I'm not thinking about what happened in one year.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

It demands first of all the ability to think of sticks or stones as “fruit knockers” or “bone crackers,” not only when they are needed for such purposes but at other times as well.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

Related Words

• basically
• chiefly
• first and foremost
• generally
• importantly
• largely
• mostly
• notably
• particularly
• predominantly