first thing

American  

[furst thing] / ˈfɜrst ˈθɪŋ /

adverb

1. right away, before all other actions, concerns, etc.; at the earliest opportunity.

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noun

1. the first thing, the most basic piece of information.

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

See Examples For:

first thing

"The trend is rising at the moment, so the first thing I've got to do is to stop that rise," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

"The first thing to remember is that all of the clinical trials, GLP-1s were not tested against no treatment; they were tested against lifestyle management interventions," he said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

The first thing to note is that his argument isn’t just about TIPS.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

I answered truthfully, but the first thing that came to mind was my bipolar disorder.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Okay, that was the first thing I needed to erase from my brain.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows