firsthand

or first-hand

[ furst-hand ]

/ ˈfɜrstˈhænd /

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See synonyms for firsthand on Thesaurus.com

adverb

from the first or original source: We heard the news of the accident firsthand from a witness.

adjective

of or relating to the first or original source.

direct from the original source: firsthand knowledge of the riot.

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Origin of firsthand

First recorded in 1690–1700; first + hand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use firsthand in a sentence

Fluoride first entered an American water supply through a rather inelegant technocratic scheme.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
In the first episode, an officer is shown video of himself shooting and killing a man.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But since those rosy scenarios were first floated, the California political scene has grown more crowded.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Eric Garcetti succeeded Villaraigosa and has received high marks in his first year and a half on the job.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

He sees himself as the first Muslim president of all Europe.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This is the first and principal point at which we can stanch the wastage of teaching energy that now goes on.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
After relievedly giving the pistol to the nearest soldier, he stumbled quickly over to Brion and took his hand.
Sense of Obligation|Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)
He was converted and baptized, and was the first Hebrew instructor at Harvard college.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
And I have not had the first morsel of food prepared from this grain offered me since I reached the shores of Europe.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
She is quite true, but not wise, and your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

British Dictionary definitions for firsthand

first-hand

adjective, adverb

from the original source; direct or directlyfirst-hand news; he got the news first-hand

at first hand from the original source; directly

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with firsthand

first hand

see at first hand.