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

To talk about "boycotting" men has a lot of value, even if women ultimately don't do it, first and foremost because it helps women question toxic assumptions they were raised to believe.

From Salon

"It's evident that it is first and foremost children and women who are paying a price for this senseless war," he added.

From BBC

They’ll need to outwit him, first and foremost, and they prove that they can.

From Los Angeles Times

“Future drought is mainly determined by how warm it gets, and how much CO2 we emit. So first and foremost is to control the CO2 emissions.”

From Los Angeles Times

As election night projections looked increasingly favorable for Donald Trump, the tech titan who perhaps did more than anyone to shift Silicon Valley rightward, began taking his victory laps, first and foremost by replaying all his most ignominious hits.

From Slate