in the first place

phrase

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

As long as the new event, and the new cars, can retain the old-world charm that made Singer a fixture at Goodwood for so many years in the first place. — Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

A little more chili on an already-spicy swangy snack could help restore the slowing effect that makes spice useful in the first place. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 July 2026

Those two actors are also examples of stars who have struggled to find new material on the same level as the work that garnered them awards attention in the first place. — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 31 July 2026

The court records showed what happened after books were acquired, not how companies source millions of physical volumes in the first place. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 31 July 2026

Rhymes for in the first place

• aromatase
• oligoclase
• plagioclase
• polymerase
• streptokinase
• triphosphatase
• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace