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first-come

American  
[furst-kuhm] / ˈfɜrstˈkʌm /

adjective

  1. arranged, considered, or done in order of application or arrival, as for purposes of service.

    orders filled on a first-come basis.

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.

The unit is built around “legacy assets such as first-come, first-serve Citizens Broadband Radio Service licenses.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

One warning from tax experts: This can turn into a first-come, first-served situation.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

Parking is handled ad hoc, on a first-come, first-served basis.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

Fans were able to buy tickets on a first-come, first-served basis with a limit of two tickets each.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

This is how five days later, we end up heading to Boston, where a clinic ship is landing for a day and taking patients for free on a first-come, first-serve basis.

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson

Definitions 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.