firsthand

adjective

first·​hand ˈfərst-ˈhand 

: obtained by, coming from, or being direct personal observation or experience

a firsthand account of the war

… had a firsthand view of the turmoil that wracked the region.

—William W. Finan, Jr.

firsthand adverb

Synonyms

• primary
• direct
• immediate

Examples of firsthand in a Sentence

He gave a firsthand account of the battle.

She draws on firsthand experiences for her novel.

Recent Examples on the Web

Their firsthand experience with the sorts of systems being portrayed as vulnerable personalized the threat. —Bruce Schneier, The Conversation, 27 June 2025

Iran’s Islamic Republic government likely will block it because, aside from Panahi’s outspoken stance against its stranglehold on democracy that has landed him in prison twice, the film is highly critical of Iran’s penal system on the back of the director’s own firsthand experiences. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 June 2025

Having flown millions of miles to destinations throughout the world to speak at business conferences gives me firsthand experience of the good, the bad and the ugly of airline travel (all airlines). —Shep Hyken, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025

The best campaigns stem from not just demographic or buying behavioral data but firsthand knowledge of the person buying your product or service. —Chris O'Neill, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1699, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for firsthand

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand

Kids Definition

firsthand

adjective

first·​hand ˈfərst-ˈhand 

: coming directly from the original source

a firsthand account of the war

firsthand adverb