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
Pouring those samples and spreading the gospel of NA drinks is a big part of why many bottle shop owners got into the business in the first place.
—
Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 14 Jan. 2025
But there are a lot of things that were girl code that Dorit did not stick with that got us in that position in the first place.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Jan. 2025
State of play: At the heart of the case is whether some longstanding state laws were valid, and whether those 60,000 voters who were missing a social security or driver's license number from their voter registration application were lawfully registered to vote in the first place.
—Lucille Sherman, Axios, 13 Jan. 2025
So Rhule would never have gone 11-27 in Carolina if Tepper hadn’t hired him in the first place.
—Charlotte Observer, Orlando Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2025
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Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 14 Jan. 2025
But there are a lot of things that were girl code that Dorit did not stick with that got us in that position in the first place.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Jan. 2025
State of play: At the heart of the case is whether some longstanding state laws were valid, and whether those 60,000 voters who were missing a social security or driver's license number from their voter registration application were lawfully registered to vote in the first place.
—Lucille Sherman, Axios, 13 Jan. 2025
So Rhule would never have gone 11-27 in Carolina if Tepper hadn’t hired him in the first place.
—Charlotte Observer, Orlando Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for in the first place
Dictionary Entries Near 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 18 Jan. 2025.
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