in the first place

idiom

—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.

—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 All of these will reduce the amount of direct sunlight that hits your window in the first place, which means less heat comes in. —

Sara Kendall, Miami Herald, 22 May 2024 Rather than simply continuing to manage asthma attacks, Bryant-Stephens wanted to make changes that would keep kids with asthma out of the emergency department in the first place. —

Julia Landwehr, Health, 22 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for in the first place

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in the first place.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near in the first place

in the first instance

in the first place

in the flower of one's youth

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“In the first place.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20first%20place. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

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