first-place

first-place — idiom

1. if something takes or comes first place, you treat it as the thing that matters

1.慣用語B2
釋義

if something takes or comes first place, you treat it as the thing that matters more than anything else; the opposite phrase 'take second place' means you treat it as less important than something else

例句

For Yumi, family always takes first place, even during her busiest weeks at the hospital.

take first place + abstract subject (family, work, study)

Safety must take first place over speed when the rescue team enters a collapsed building.

take first place over + competing priority

同義詞
  • come first

    shorter and more conversational; works in the same priority-ranking sense

  • take priority

    slightly more formal; common in workplace or policy contexts

  • be paramount

    formal and emphatic; usually written, not spoken

反義詞
  • take a back seat

    the most natural opposite of 'take first place'; means to become less important

文法句型

take first place

come first place

X takes first place over Y

take second place to X

用法筆記

Subject is usually an abstract priority (family, safety, money, health, work). Distinguish from the literal sports sense of 'first place' meaning the winning position in a race — this figurative idiom is about importance ranking, not finishing order.

常見錯誤

❌My family takes the first place in my life.
✅My family takes first place in my life.
💡No 'the' before 'first place' in the idiom.
❌Work takes second place than family.
✅Work takes second place to family.
💡Use 'to', not 'than', after 'second place'.