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Glite Dictionary
first time

first time

∞ 1.0
An occasion when someone does or experiences something they have not done before
  • noun
translation icon : primera vez
  • This is the first time this has ever happened to me!
  • marked the first time

So this is my first time ever doing it.

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Examples

  • But we met for the very first time in person in June.

  • I understood it completely the first time I heard it.

    Theater Camp (2023)

  • OK, that was my first time on stage ever.

    Jay Shetty Podcast

  • And you see now, maybe for the first time, why?

  • And so that was the first time we ever heard of cancer.

  • For the first time in a long time, I could sense hope.

    Tin Soldier (2025)

  • I realized that for the first time in my life, I was in a fight.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • In addition, this year, for the first time in a decade, there will be a new category.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • In fact, this is the first time he's even spoken to me.

  • OK, that was my first time on stage ever.

Synonyms

first appearance
vsfirst time
27 3.5

The first time a person or thing is seen in public, often in a new role

is a broad initial occasion, not only about being seen or role starts
first attempt
vsfirst time
23 1.9

A first try to do something new

is a general initial occasion of an event, not limited to efforts
on the first try
vsfirst time
7 3.1

Succeeding the first time you try something

is an initial occasion that does not always mean immediate success

How Often

recidivist
4 9.8
reoffense
  • US
6.3
offense
  • US
351 3.3
first time
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

first time singular
first times plural

Morphology

first + time

The meaning 'the first occasion on which something happens' is directly derivable from combining 'first' (preceding others in time) with 'time' (an occasion or point in time). This adjective+noun composition is a basic, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

The noun first time comes from the simple idea of the first meaning 'number one' and time meaning 'an occasion'. Imagine marking the very first box on a calendar when you try something new; that's why first time means 'the first occasion someone does or experiences something'.