in the first place

idiom

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

The supercar’s most famous point of difference – speed – has disappeared; they’re being bested at what made them ‘super’ in the first place. —Tim Parker, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025

Overall, the security experts emphasized how important video is in solving open cases – and perhaps even deterring them from happening in the first place. —Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025

Noor said that once he was released from the Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, where ICE operates from, he was given no documentation or explanation for why he was arrested in the first place. —Conor Wight, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025

Poaching fears Alongside the challenges of caring for spider monkeys in captivity, animal advocates like Fischer are concerned about ways the animals get to people’s homes in the first place. —Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 16 Dec. 2025

Rhymes for in the first place

• aromatase
• hydrogenase
• nitrogenase
• oligoclase
• oxygenase
• plagioclase
• polymerase
• streptokinase
• triphosphatase
• abase
• airspace
• apace