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
Chaffee said one area that the county will need to further examine is how to prevent people from falling into homelessness in the first place — while also trying to boost housing production in the region.
—
Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2024
There had to be a reason why such a rumor would circulate in the first place.
—Owen Elliot-Kugell, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
Experts say carbon removal is no substitute for preventing greenhouse gas emissions in the first place.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 8 May 2024
There probably also shouldn't be four Pencils to choose from in the first place.
—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 8 May 2024
Here’s what to know about the economic impact of the project, the significance of the location and why Microsoft is building a data center in the first place.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 8 May 2024
Spray the perimeter of your house with insecticide to deter ants from entering in the first place.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2024
Read Next: Here’s What Top Chronic Wasting Disease Researchers Can’t Say on the Record
Appling-Pooler says one of her biggest questions is why legislators would want to enact such a law in the first place.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2024
But how did scientists lose track of it in the first place?
—Julia Daye, Miami Herald, 7 May 2024
Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2024
There had to be a reason why such a rumor would circulate in the first place.
—Owen Elliot-Kugell, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
Experts say carbon removal is no substitute for preventing greenhouse gas emissions in the first place.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 8 May 2024
There probably also shouldn't be four Pencils to choose from in the first place.
—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 8 May 2024
Here’s what to know about the economic impact of the project, the significance of the location and why Microsoft is building a data center in the first place.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 8 May 2024
Spray the perimeter of your house with insecticide to deter ants from entering in the first place.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2024
Read Next: Here’s What Top Chronic Wasting Disease Researchers Can’t Say on the Record
Appling-Pooler says one of her biggest questions is why legislators would want to enact such a law in the first place.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2024
But how did scientists lose track of it in the first place?
—Julia Daye, Miami Herald, 7 May 2024
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
Cite this Entry
“In the first place.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20first%20place. Accessed 14 May. 2024.
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