first come first serve

A form of first come first served — A service policy or distributive rule under which access to a good, service, or decision is allocated according to the chronological order of requests or arrivals, so that earlier claimants receive priority over later ones.

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Meanings

nounfirst come first serve (uncountable)
  1. nonstandarduncountableNonstandard form of first come first served
Cite this entry
APA

first come first serve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first%20come%20first%20serve

MLA

“first come first serve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first%20come%20first%20serve. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “first come first serve,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first%20come%20first%20serve.

Source: first come first serve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.