first come, first served
Earliest gets preference
First come, first served describes a system where people are helped or served in the order they arrive, with no special treatment or reservations: Seating is first come, first served.
The principle applies to queues, ticket sales, limited resources, and informal situations alike.
Sometimes hyphenated when used as a modifier: a first-come-first-served basis.
- FIFOEarliest in, earliest out
- precedenceSuperior rank or importance
- queueOrdered waiting line
- standing in lineAwaiting service sequentially
- sequenceOrdered succession of elements
turn · turn-taking · waitlists · allocation · demand · reservation systems · waiting · order · access · early bird · ticketing systems · equity · scarcity · policy · impartiality · apportionment · justice · distribution
first come, first servedrandom selection
Choosing without systematic bias
by appointment · auction · means-tested · triage · assigned seating
first come, first servedVIP treatment
Preferential service for notables
queue jumping · cutting in line · nepotism · cronyism · pull strings
first come, first servedVIP treatment
Preferential service for notables
preferential treatment · pay to play · privilege · elitism · exclusive access