first and top priority

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "first and top priority" is not correct in standard English usage due to redundancy.
You can use it when emphasizing the highest importance of a task or issue, but it is better to choose one term. Example: "Ensuring customer satisfaction is our first and top priority this quarter."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

The BBC Trust, responding, said it would be the "first and top priority" for incoming director general Lord Tonyy) Hall to "reform" the BBC's management culture.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

These subjects are your top priority projects at the moment––your email will be sorted by subject line and top priority are read/responded to first.

WikiHow

It was the first time my top priority was not providing a trauma-free environment for my children, the first time I felt such elemental rage towards my child, the first time I lost all conscious consideration of my child's needs, emotional capacity, or developmental capabilities.

Huffington Post

Placing consumer protection first is a top priority for our industry.

Huffington Post

Top scent-releasers gained mating priority (they mated first) and top groomers ensured a higher number of renewed copulations (they mated more).

Plosone

In October the Central Committee met for the third time at the eighth plenum; top priority was assigned to reducing the rate of inflation to a single digit by 2010.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Second, when top priority, the stronger a leader's psychopathy trait, the lower his or her perception of CSR as top priority, and no moderating effect was significant.

Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Being the third highest "top priority" is hardly synonymous with being a minor issue -- certainly not when considering that when NBC/WSJ tallied the respondent's first and second priorities, health care shot up to a tie for second place, at 32percentt.

Huffington Post

Among our patients it came out for the first time as a top priority, second to none (Table 3).

BMC Health Services Research

There is no secret formula to balancing work/life, but I strive to put my family first and make them my top priority.

Huffington Post

MR. OBAMA: Well, first of all, my top priority in each and every one of these situations is to make sure that we're apprehending those who would attack the United States; that we are getting all the intelligence that we can out of these individuals, in a way that's consistent with due process of law; and that we try them, we prosecute them, in a way that's consistent with rule of law.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

To avoid redundancy, choose either "first priority" or "top priority". Both convey the same meaning of utmost importance.

Common error

Avoid using both "first" and "top" together. While intending to stress importance, it results in an awkward and repetitive phrase. Select one term to maintain clarity and conciseness.

Linguistic Context

The phrase functions as a noun phrase intended to emphasize the supreme importance of something. As Ludwig AI states, the phrase is not correct in standard English due to redundancy, yet it shows an attempt to give additional emphasis.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

36%

Wiki

16%

Science

16%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Encyclopedias

6%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while "first and top priority" is used to emphasize importance, it's considered grammatically incorrect due to its redundancy. Ludwig AI suggests that using either "first priority" or "top priority" is a better practice. High-quality sources like The New York Times and The Guardian use variations of this concept. For alternatives, consider "utmost priority" or "highest priority" for clearer and more concise writing. Therefore, avoid using both "first" and "top" together.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

highest priority

Directly indicates the greatest level of importance.

topmost priority

Implies being at the very top of a list of priorities.

number one priority

Suggests that something is the single most important thing.

utmost priority

Emphasizes the extreme importance of something.

chief priority

Highlights the leading or principal importance.

paramount importance

Emphasizes the supreme and overriding significance.

foremost concern

Highlights the immediate and pressing nature of the concern.

prime concern

Focuses on what is most worrying or requiring attention.

principal focus

Highlights the main area of attention or effort.

critical task

Implies the task is essential and crucial.

FAQs

Is it grammatically correct to say "first and top priority"?

While understandable, "first and top priority" is redundant. It's better to use either "first priority" or "top priority" to avoid unnecessary repetition.

What does "top priority" mean?

"Top priority" signifies something that is of the utmost importance and needs to be dealt with before anything else. It means that this is the most important task at hand.

How can I use "top priority" in a sentence?

You might say, "Meeting the deadline is our top priority this week." This means that getting the project done by the deadline is the most important thing the team is focusing on.

What are some alternatives to "first and top priority"?

Alternatives include "highest priority", "utmost priority", or "paramount importance", all of which convey a similar level of significance without being redundant.