Word.ws English Dictionary

first things first

first things first phrase: let's deal with matters of highest priority first; let's deal with matters in logical sequence.

Phrase

first things first

  1. Let's deal with matters of highest priority first; let's deal with matters in logical sequence.
    • There is a sound common-sense maxim, frequently heard among the wise and prudent of this world—First things first, […]1830, Christian Observer, On Prophetic Speculation
    • “First things first,” said Sir Richmond. “If we set about getting fuel sanely, if we do it as the deliberate, co-operative act of the whole species, then it follows that we shall look very closely into the use that is being made of it.”1922, H. G. Wells, chapter 4, in The Secret Places of the Heart

Examples of first things first in a sentence

  • Judging by the polls—which still favor Clinton and his mantra of “first things first” (Medicare and education)—the public senses it too.1999 July 23, Frank Pellegrini, “House Republicans Quell Mutiny Over Tax Bounty”, in Time, archived from the original on 30 Apr 2009:
  • First things first, you need the right tools.2007 October 21, Jenni Muir, “Essentials for a wannabe chef—sugar, cream, mouse”, in Sunday Times, UK:

Forms of first things first

alternative formfirst thing's first

Questions about first things first

What does first things first mean?
First things first means let's deal with matters of highest priority first; let's deal with matters in logical sequence.
How do you use first things first in a sentence?
Judging by the polls—which still favor Clinton and his mantra of “first things first” (Medicare and education)—the public senses it too.
What part of speech is first things first?
First things first is a phrase.

Words near first things first in the dictionary

  1. first team
  2. first teams
  3. first thing
  4. first thing's first
  5. first things
  6. first things first
  7. first time
  8. first timed
  9. first times
  10. first timing
  11. first touch

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: first things first (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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