first time meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

first-time

adjalso spelled first-time

Etymology From first time used as a modifier.

Happening for the first time; doing something for the first time.

As a first-time skydiver, I felt more than a little nervous.
How will these rules be enforced? [...] Fines for first-time offenders who breach regulations have been increased from £60 to £100 (reducing to £50 if the fixed penalty notice is paid within 14 days), [...].2020 May 20, “Social distancing: Questions and answers”, in Rail, page 9:

1 more example

Huainan, a city in Anhui Province, ordered banks to extend more money and shorten loan approval times, as well as lower the mortgage rates and down payment requirements for first-time buyers.2022 June 20, Daisuke Wakabayashi, Joy Dong, “China’s Once-Sizzling Property Market Has Started to Cool”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 20 Jun 2022, Business:

noun

UK /fɜːst taɪm/ · US /fɜɹst taɪm/

Euphemistic An individual's first instance of sexual intercourse.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see first, time.

I'm flying to Castile next week. It'll be the first time I’ve been there.
Just a minute or so before we left — it must have been about 1:30 p.m. — Assistant Press Secretary Malcolm Kilduff came into the room and addressed me as "Mr. President." This was the first time anyone had called me that and I must have looked startled; I certainly felt strange.1971, Lyndon Johnson, “The Beginning”, in The Vantage Point, Holt, Reinhart & Winston, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 11:

1 more example

If its submission is approved, it would not be the first time TfL has taken over services from a train operating company.2025 October 15, David Stubbings, “News: TfL submits business case to DfT for transfer of Northern City Line services”, in RAIL, number 1046, page 11:

verb

Video games To try for the first time.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for first-time and first time.