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 money for purchasing such an estate in the first place certainly was not accrued from the box office revenue of Jaglom’s films. —Carmel Dagan, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025

An overstuffed tracklist and slightly sloppy sequencing prevent the record from fully realizing its potential, but over the course of an hour-plus, Cardi sufficiently reminds us why the crown was hers to return for in the first place. —Kyle Denis, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2025

Sellers, seeing weaker prices and higher mortgage rates, are coming off the market or deciding to wait a while longer before listing in the first place. —Diana Olick, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2025

Now, legal experts from across the political spectrum, as well as current DOJ officials, are questioning why the Biden DOJ pursued the case in the first place. —Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for in the first place

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