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

As soon as he woke up after surgery, the first thing he did was ask his wife to get him a KFC.

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

West said recess first thing in the day isn’t ideal and noted part of it became optional in practice because some children wouldn’t arrive until later.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

They didn’t know the first thing about Korean stocks or third world currencies, but they didn’t really need to.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis