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 Willow Wave solves this problem by replacing a humming motor with an old-school, manual pump mechanism—but without sacrificing the mobility that makes wearable pumps so appealing in the first place.
—
Rachel Feltman, Popular Science, 25 Dec. 2025
Kim advises to clean frequently and quickly after any spills to prevent them from becoming stubborn or burnt-on in the first place.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2025
Animal-protection advocates say the long-term answer is not killing coyotes, but cutting off the food and shelter that draw them into neighborhoods in the first place.
—Theo Karantsalis, Miami Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
Pitsch and others started planning a way to better care for people with dementia and to prevent emergency situations in the first place.
—Addie Costello, jsonline.com, 25 Dec. 2025
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Rachel Feltman, Popular Science, 25 Dec. 2025
Kim advises to clean frequently and quickly after any spills to prevent them from becoming stubborn or burnt-on in the first place.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2025
Animal-protection advocates say the long-term answer is not killing coyotes, but cutting off the food and shelter that draw them into neighborhoods in the first place.
—Theo Karantsalis, Miami Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
Pitsch and others started planning a way to better care for people with dementia and to prevent emergency situations in the first place.
—Addie Costello, jsonline.com, 25 Dec. 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 2 Jan. 2026.
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