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

Hawke’s dance card had its own obstacles to consider, and his casting presumably helped get the supernatural horror film financed in the first place. —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025

Finding appropriate solutions to youth crime necessitates understanding why youth engage in crime in the first place. —Caitlin Cavanagh, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025

Don't rely on the same email, text or call that raised suspicion in the first place. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025

That includes Jan Laureys (Willem De Schryver), who never wanted to be a gendarme in the first place. —Marta Balaga, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025

Rhymes for in the first place

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