first and foremost
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Most importantly or primarily
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “Irreversible binomial” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Equivalents & related
Near equivalent
trước nhất
(adverb) first of all, first and foremost
Tiếng Việt
Near equivalent
tiên học lễ, hậu học văn
learn your manners before you learn anything else; it doesn't matter how smart you are, you have to know your manners first and foremost
Tiếng Việt
Near equivalent
first of all
used to indicate the most important thing
English · via trước nhất
Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.
Common questions
What does “first and foremost” mean?
Most importantly or primarily
Is “first and foremost” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
What is the closest equivalent?
“trước nhất” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.