foremost

[fawr-mohst, -muhst, fohr-]

adjective

1. first in place, order, rank, etc..

   the foremost surgeons.

   Synonyms: paramount, principal, chief, prime, primary

foremost

/ ˈfɔːˌməʊst /

adjective

1. first in time, place, rank, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of foremost¹

before 1000; fore ¹ + -most; replacing Middle English, Old English formest, equivalent to form ( a ) first, variant of fruma (compare Latin prīmus ) + -est -est ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of foremost¹

Old English formest , from forma first; related to Old Saxon formo first, Old High German fruma advantage

Idioms and Phrases

see first and foremost.

Example Sentences

Mary Wollstonecraft, the foremost female thinker of the 18th-century Enlightenment, published “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” shortly before Austen began her writing career.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"It is important that we remember the immense loss and suffering of so many people due to Covid-19. Today, our thoughts must first and foremost be with them," she added.

Read more on BBC

They were there to pay tribute to Lawrence Summers, the former Treasury Secretary and university president, and one of the foremost economists of his era.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Now Su is staring down the ultimate goliath in Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company and the foremost maker of the chips that power AI data centers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

So first and foremost, you figure out if people need help … and then you start photographing.

Read more on Los Angeles Times