first and foremost

Idioms and Phrases

Also, first of all . Most important, primarily; also, to begin with. For example, First and foremost, I want to thank our sponsors , or What we need, first and foremost, is a new secretary , or We have to deal, first of all, with the early history . The first term, dating from the late 1300s, is redundant, since first and foremost mean virtually the same thing. Both it and the variant, which dates from the mid-1500s, are used to give emphasis to the initial item in a list of several. Also see first off ; first thing .

Example Sentences

First and foremost, the public interest dictates that we have the fullest possible historical account of what happened, which is a recognized justification for special counsel reports.

From Los Angeles Times

The first and foremost is to recognize that chaos and wickedness aren't strengths of MAGA, but weaknesses.

From Salon

"It's so important to have a dedicated stalking role because first and foremost stalking can have a really devastating impact on people," she said.

From BBC

“We talk about our mentality first and foremost before we talk about anything else, and that comes from Minter,” Jefferson said about the Chargers defenders.

From Los Angeles Times

"In our videos we're just ourselves, we're not aiming to be certain characters, and first and foremost we're content creators who make fun videos."

From BBC

Related Words

• basically
• chiefly
• generally
• importantly
• largely
• mostly
• notably
• particularly
• predominantly