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

Nearly two days after a car chase started by Independence police left an innocent bystander dead in Kansas City, officials did not answer questions about why officers started the pursuit in the first place. —Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 2 Jan. 2026

There was some fortune in that a poor first touch drew Robinson out in the first place. —Mark Carey, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026

That allowed Edmondson to focus on the music, cutting through the cynical feelings that had kept him away in the first place. —Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 1 Jan. 2026

Pew found that adults with higher education are more likely to get married in the first place and less likely to divorce. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for in the first place

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