Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "first-rate" []

  • Foremost in quality, rank, or importance. (adjective)
  • Informal Very well; excellently. (adverb)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "first-rate" in a sentence
  • "Today, older Americans do have independent lives and first-rate medical care."
  • "No country has achieved first-rate health care, or strong transportation infrastructure, or pioneering scientific research without the help of government."
  • "He is a first-rate composer, whether writing for the movie screen or his own quintet or, better yet, some combination of both."