in the first instance
idiom
formal
: before other events happen : as the first thing in a series of actions
You will be seen in the first instance by your own doctor who may then send you to a specialist.
Examples of in the first instance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Certain issues might or will be perceived as political, but these are never on our minds in the first instance.
—
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 July 2025
Working in partnership with community organizations, OPD witnesses firsthand the incredible value of early interventions — efforts designed to prevent crime in the first instance, keeping people out of the courtroom and at home with their families.
—Natasha Dartigue, Baltimore Sun, 21 June 2025
The commission is trying to get the parliament and EU member states to agree, in the first instance, to a postponement law, that would set down the timeline changes for implementation to offer some clarity for businesses.
—María Mendiluce, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Sometimes, courts threaten to hold the lawyers themselves in contempt if there is a belief on the part of the court that the lawyers are not complying with what the court ordered in the first instance.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 11 Feb. 2025
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Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 July 2025
Working in partnership with community organizations, OPD witnesses firsthand the incredible value of early interventions — efforts designed to prevent crime in the first instance, keeping people out of the courtroom and at home with their families.
—Natasha Dartigue, Baltimore Sun, 21 June 2025
The commission is trying to get the parliament and EU member states to agree, in the first instance, to a postponement law, that would set down the timeline changes for implementation to offer some clarity for businesses.
—María Mendiluce, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Sometimes, courts threaten to hold the lawyers themselves in contempt if there is a belief on the part of the court that the lawyers are not complying with what the court ordered in the first instance.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the first instance
Cite this Entry
“In the first instance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20first%20instance. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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