after vs first

after

adv
  • Behind; later in time; following. 

conj
  • Signifies that the action of the clause it starts takes place before the action of the other clause. 

adj
  • At or towards the stern of a ship. 

prep
  • In pursuit of, seeking. 

  • In allusion to, in imitation of; following or referencing. 

  • In spite of. 

  • Behind. 

  • Next in importance or rank. 

  • Denoting the aim or object; concerning; in relation to. 

  • Subsequently to; following in time; later than. 

  • Used to indicate recent completion of an activity 

  • As a result of. 

first

adv
  • Now. 

  • For the first time. 

  • Before anything else; firstly. 

noun
  • first base 

  • A first-edition copy of some publication. 

  • A fraction whose (integer) denominator ends in the digit 1. 

  • The first gear of an engine. 

  • Something that has never happened before; a new occurrence. 

  • A first-class honours degree. 

  • The person or thing in the first position. 

adj
  • Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest. 

  • Of or belonging to a first family. 

  • Most eminent or exalted; most excellent; chief; highest. 

How often have the words after and first occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )