in the first place

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 situationWe 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 somethingI'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.

Learn More about in the first place

Dictionary Entries near in the first place

in the first degree

in the (first) flush of

in the first instance

in the first place

in the flower of one's youth

in the frame

in the front rank

Statistics for in the first place

Cite this Entry

“In the first place.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20first%20place. Accessed 23 Oct. 2020.