in the first instance
idiom
formal
: before other events happen : as the first thing in a series of actions
You will be seen in the first instance by your own doctor who may then send you to a specialist.
Examples of in the first instance in a Sentence
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During this time, Ukraine would require ironclad security guarantees from the West, likely by European forces in the first instance.
—
Miriam Sapiro, Time, 15 Aug. 2025
The talks were attended by some U.S. officials via video link, the Wall Street Journal reported, adding that European powers offered a counterproposal for talks with Russia that would in the first instance demand a ceasefire.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 9 Aug. 2025
Jaishankar counters this argument in the first instance by describing India’s myriad efforts to modernize its economy and defense base and diversify its international partnerships.
—Nirupama Rao, Foreign Affairs, 30 July 2025
Certain issues might or will be perceived as political, but these are never on our minds in the first instance.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 July 2025
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Miriam Sapiro, Time, 15 Aug. 2025
The talks were attended by some U.S. officials via video link, the Wall Street Journal reported, adding that European powers offered a counterproposal for talks with Russia that would in the first instance demand a ceasefire.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 9 Aug. 2025
Jaishankar counters this argument in the first instance by describing India’s myriad efforts to modernize its economy and defense base and diversify its international partnerships.
—Nirupama Rao, Foreign Affairs, 30 July 2025
Certain issues might or will be perceived as political, but these are never on our minds in the first instance.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the first instance
Cite this Entry
“In the first instance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20first%20instance. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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