in the first place
idiom
1
—used at the end of a sentence to indicate what was true or what should have been done at the beginning of a situation
We should never have gone there in the first place.
I didn't care much for the job in the first place.
2
—used when listing the most important parts of something or the most important reasons for something
I'm not going to tell you because, in the first place, it's none of your business, and in the second place, you would tell everyone else.
Examples of in the first place in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The myth of rugged individualism, or going it alone, is outdated and was never completely accurate in the first place.
—
Todd Villeneuve, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Eliminating benefit taxation was neither affordable nor necessary in the first place.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
Whatever the source of those funds (and whatever of their own money was spent on buying shares in the first place), the benefits flowing the other way have long since usurped them.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Each nudging me toward the peace and playfulness that sparked my desire to travel in the first place.
—Essence, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the first place
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Todd Villeneuve, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Eliminating benefit taxation was neither affordable nor necessary in the first place.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
Whatever the source of those funds (and whatever of their own money was spent on buying shares in the first place), the benefits flowing the other way have long since usurped them.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Each nudging me toward the peace and playfulness that sparked my desire to travel in the first place.
—Essence, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the first place
Cite this Entry
“In the first place.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20first%20place. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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