firsthand

American  

[furst-hand] / ˈfɜrstˈhænd /

Or first-hand

adverb

1. from the first or original source.

   We heard the news of the accident firsthand from a witness.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the first or original source.

2. direct from the original source.

   firsthand knowledge of the riot.

Etymology

Origin of firsthand

First recorded in 1690–1700; first + hand

Explanation

Anything firsthand is directly experienced, so your firsthand knowledge of the new math teacher's purple hair comes from the fact that you've seen it with your very own eyes. When you get information from someone who saw something happen or heard something said, that's firsthand evidence. And anything you see or hear yourself is also firsthand. Your summer job might be a firsthand look at what farming is really like. Interviewing a witness to a crime gives a police officer firsthand testimony about what exactly happened. This word, coined around 1690, comes from the idea that the maker of something is its first hand.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

firsthand

“He was born before the sound era, so you get the sense that he’s put this list together based on actual experience, watching firsthand as cinema evolved over the decades,” LeMaire says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Ryan Lucas, aka “The Pickled Guy” on social media, understands this firsthand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

He believes the audience could be broader than former users, with younger generations embracing the early-2000s aesthetics they never experienced firsthand.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

One of those displaced by the advance was Jamal Abu Miri, a 68-year-old retired land surveyor who understood firsthand that the Yellow Line was more than just an arbitrary marker on a map.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

I have put together this report from firsthand interviews with the victims, and as the tale unfolds, you will realize that this was not easy.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer