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
Arizona didn’t give up a ton for Naylor in the first place, and they’re certainly not bowled over by this return.
—
Zack Meisel, New York Times, 25 July 2025
Their findings represent a first-of-its-kind, conclusive analysis offering a remarkably simple explanation for how wrinkle lines form in the first place.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 23 July 2025
To further cut costs and justify the project, the Fed canceled renovations to a third adjacent building and clarified that most of the controversial features never existed in the first place.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 23 July 2025
Also known as chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), people with the condition regularly face these flares and don’t even know what’s causing them in the first place.
—Korin Miller, Flow Space, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the first place
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Zack Meisel, New York Times, 25 July 2025
Their findings represent a first-of-its-kind, conclusive analysis offering a remarkably simple explanation for how wrinkle lines form in the first place.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 23 July 2025
To further cut costs and justify the project, the Fed canceled renovations to a third adjacent building and clarified that most of the controversial features never existed in the first place.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 23 July 2025
Also known as chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), people with the condition regularly face these flares and don’t even know what’s causing them in the first place.
—Korin Miller, Flow Space, 23 July 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 29 Jul. 2025.
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