in the first place

idiom

Definition of in the first place

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.

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Dictionary Entries Near in the first place

in the first instance

in the first place

in the flower of one's youth

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Cite this Entry

“In the first place.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20first%20place. Accessed 27 Oct. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA