foremost
[fawr-mohst, -muhst, fohr-]
- first in place, order, rank, etc.: the foremost surgeons.
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Origin of foremost
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
arch, champion, chief, front, head, heavy, highest, initial, leading, original, paramount, preeminent, premier, primary, prime, principal, supreme, heavyweight, inaugural, A-1Examples from the Web for foremost
Contemporary Examples
The New York governor was the foremost Democrat to stand athwart the Reagan Revolution.
Even the best of us can hurt the people who come to us for care when we forget that our foremost obligation is to them.
The foremost trendsetter of Scandi-sleek design and New Nordic food knows no limit to its progressive reputation.
The Ultimate LGBT Travel Bucket ListDecember 12, 2014
The cities of the heartland came into existence, first and foremost, as economic entities.
And, if this is once again removed, the local population will likely blame, first and foremost, the anti-ISIS coalition.
Historical Examples
Who foremost now to climb the leaguered wall, The first to triumph, or the first to fall?
The Grand Old ManRichard B. Cook
It unquestionably established Gladstone as the foremost financier of his day.
The Grand Old ManRichard B. Cook
In the Peer's gallery were the foremost members of the House of Lords.
The Grand Old ManRichard B. Cook
Foremost among these--one would think--should come his own productions.
De Libris: Prose and VerseAustin Dobson
Among the foremost advocates of the royal usurpations was Dr. Bullivant.
Dr. BullivantNathaniel Hawthorne
foremost
- first in time, place, rank, etc
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Word Origin
Old English formest, from forma first; related to Old Saxon formo first, Old High German fruma advantage
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for foremost
adj.
Old English fyrmest "earliest, first, most prominent," from Proto-Germanic *formo- (related to Old English fruma "beginning"), superlative of the root of fore + additional superlative suffix -est. Cf. -most, and cf. also Old Frisian formest, Gothic frumists. Altered on the assumption that it is a compound of fore and most.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with foremost
foremost
see first and foremost.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.