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

However, experts also say Prince Andrew must also be getting help from his brother to even afford to stay at Royal Lodge in the first place. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 5 Aug. 2025

In addition to risking the franchise with spying activities, why would Nvidia want to bring harm to China in the first place? —John Tamny, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025

How did a nonmilitary crew capture and imprison a Xenomorph in the first place? —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2025

Needing to worry about such avoidable irritations in the first place, though, proves that Morgan may have modernized the car, but a certain level of classic British engineering still applies. —ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025

Rhymes for in the first place

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