foremost
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of foremost
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
Explanation
Foremost is an adjective that means holding the highest position or rank. When naming advisors, presidents usually search for the foremost experts on various subjects. If you are the foremost in your profession, you're the expert people will seek out for an opinion. If your foremost concern in a project is money, all other factors are secondary. You can also use this word as an adverb meaning "before anything else." The film, Gone With the Wind, is set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, but first and foremost, it is a love story.
Vocabulary lists containing foremost
Power Prefix: fore-
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Since the entire brand of America’s foremost tastemaker is to discern the good things from tackiness, the debacle has bewildered longtime fans.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
A key point to watch will be cabinet posts: “For investors, first and foremost would be who would lead the Ministry of Finance,” GS’s Alberto Ramos and Panteleymon Semka said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Dmitriev said the act would have caused "serious damage first and foremost to the US economy and global markets".
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
"Our thoughts are first and foremost with their families, loved ones, friends, and colleagues."
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
First and foremost, there was the stunning ease with which the freshmen had won at Poughkeepsie in June.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
