first thing

Idioms  

1. Before anything else; without delay. For example, Tom was supposed to call him first thing in the morning. [Late 1500s] Also see under first and foremost; first off.

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Example Sentences

"Doctors aren't taught about this condition. The first thing we need is understanding," she said.

From BBC

When Sombr appeared on the show this month, the first thing the singer told Barthès was that he was “proud” to appear on “the French show with the good lighting.”

From The Wall Street Journal

So the first thing is showing up, and they know you’re coming, and you’re bringing the attention to what they’re doing.

From Slate

In an interview for Waterstones in 2020, she said: "It's the first thing I've written since I was a teenager leaving school – the first thing."

From BBC

“We often see clients that are tightly wound—literally and figuratively—and the first thing we will encourage them to do is be very conscious of the way their muscles feel when they exercise,” said Heather Milton, a clinical exercise physiologist at NYU Langone Orthopedics’ Sports Performance Center who is training to compete in a punishing days-long Hyrox fitness challenge.

From The Wall Street Journal