Meanings
- uncountableA voting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer.
In our two-party system, that aloofness and hostility is partly a result of a first-past-the-post electoral system that worships the wedge, with each party terrified that one issue might catch fire and swing marginal seats away from victory.
2023 August 7, Nesrine Malik, “British people are kinder and less divided than politicians give us credit for”, in The GuardianSynonyms: FPTP, simple majority voting, plurality voting
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA voting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer.
Origin
A metaphor derived from horse racing, referring to the first horse to physically pass the winning post at the finish line, regardless of the distance to the runner-up.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan escrutini uninominal majoritari
- escrutini uninominal majoritarivoting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer
Chinese Mandarin 簡單多數制 /简单多数制, 單一選區多數決 /单一选区多数决
- 簡單多數制 /简单多数制 (jiǎndān duōshùzhì)voting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer
- 單一選區多數決 /单一选区多数决 (dānyī xuǎnqū duōshùjué)voting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer
Danish flertalsvalg i enkeltmandskredse, simpelt flertal
- flertalsvalg i enkeltmandskredsevoting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer
- simpelt flertalvoting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer
Finnish pluraliteettijärjestelmä
- pluraliteettijärjestelmävoting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer
French scrutin majoritaire uninominal à un tour
- scrutin majoritaire uninominal à un tourvoting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer
German Mehrheits-
- Mehrheits-voting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer
Hungarian egyszerű többség
- egyszerű többségvoting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer
Japanese 単純小選挙区制
- 単純小選挙区制 (tanjunshōsenkyokusei)voting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer
Romanian vot majoritar simplu
- vot majoritar simpluvoting system where the candidate with the most votes (a plurality) wins, without any form of preference transfer
Cite this entry
first past the post. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first%20past%20the%20post
“first past the post.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first%20past%20the%20post. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “first past the post,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first%20past%20the%20post.
Source: first past the post on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.