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 of firsthand

• 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

Travel was arduous, time-consuming and expensive, and most Northerners had little firsthand exposure to slave societies. —Gerry Lanosga, The Conversation, 17 Nov. 2025

The post captured both the notification itself and the accompanying text, providing a firsthand look at how the nationwide system was deployed during the drill. —Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

The Royals got a firsthand look at the White Sox offense in the second half of the season. —Kansas City Star, 12 Nov. 2025

Lauren Wellbank, a writer from Pennsylvania, has firsthand experience with violent threats from her ex-fiancé. —Misha Valencia, Time, 11 Nov. 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