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

• direct
• immediate
• primary
• unmediated

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

Most of us have a similarly devastating firsthand experience, from the fires that tore through the ritziest parts of L.A. this year, and the smoke that wafted over New York’s wealthier and lower-income zip codes alike last year. —Jeff Roth, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025

Westad and Chen enrich this familiar history with firsthand accounts that allow the story to unfold from the perspective of China’s paramount leaders and other prominent individuals. —Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025

The firsthand report describes a retaliatory alien attack after Soviet soldiers reportedly shot down a UFO flying over a military base. —Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 13 Apr. 2025

In considering what the firsthand impact of tariffs might be, Monica Malik, chief economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, noted that the U.S. is not a major export market for the Gulf. —Natasha Turak, CNBC, 9 Apr. 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