First Intercourse: Meaning, Usage, Collocations, and Examples

First intercourse (pronounced: /fɜːrst ˈɪntərkɔːrs/) refers to a person’s first experience of sexual intercourse, often synonymous with “losing virginity” or “sexual debut.” It is a neutral, descriptive phrase widely used in health, psychology, and social studies to mark the beginning of one’s sexual life.

Easy Explanation

“First intercourse” means the first time a person has sex. For example, “Her first intercourse was at 19 with her partner.”

Grammatical Formation

Noun phrase: first (adjective) + intercourse (noun meaning sexual relations).
Related forms: first sexual intercourse, experience of first intercourse.

Word Comparisons

First intercourse vs. losing virginity: losing virginity = personal/emotional; first intercourse = neutral, clinical.
First intercourse vs. sexual debut: both are neutral, but sexual debut is more academic/sociological.
First intercourse vs. defloration: defloration = archaic and gendered; first intercourse = modern, neutral.

Connotations

Neutral/clinical in research and health education.
Positive: milestone of intimacy or adulthood.
Negative (in strict cultures): taboo or shameful outside marriage.

Meaning with Prepositions

First intercourse at: first intercourse at age 18.
First intercourse with: first intercourse with her boyfriend.
First intercourse in: first intercourse in marriage.

Real-Life Examples

The survey measured the average age of first intercourse across countries.
She remembered her first intercourse as both exciting and awkward.
Many cultures expect first intercourse to happen after marriage.
Comprehensive sex education helps young people approach first intercourse safely.

Synonyms

sexual debut, first sexual experience, sexual initiation, losing virginity

Antonyms

virginity, chastity, celibacy, abstinence, inexperience

Related Terms

Virginity – state of never having had sex.
Sexual debut – neutral modern phrase for first sex.
Defloration – archaic word for virginity loss.
Abstinence – refraining from sex.

Common Collocations

age of first intercourse
first intercourse with partner
first intercourse in marriage
first intercourse experience
risk at first intercourse

Idiomatic and Figurative Usage

Rarely used figuratively; mostly literal.
Sometimes symbolic in literature as a transition into adulthood.

Sample Sentences

Her first intercourse occurred at 20 with her fiancé.
The study showed a decline in the average age of first intercourse.
In conservative cultures, first intercourse is tied to marriage.
He recalled his first intercourse as an important milestone.

Connection to Sexuality

Yes, very directly. “First intercourse” refers explicitly to the beginning of one’s sexual life and is a central concept in sexual health, education, and cultural traditions.

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