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

My own family recently discovered this firsthand when our beleaguered second car, a gas-powered Honda Fit, finally bit the dust.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Apple customers have firsthand experience with the efficiency of Arm’s designs, which have been used in MacBook chips since 2020 and easily beat x86 chips in terms of speed and battery life.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

Perhaps the writer was eager for firsthand experience with betting apps and asked his editors to find a spiritual workaround.

From Slate • May 5, 2026

"We have seen both sides of this country firsthand."

From BBC • May 1, 2026

Then again, her parents were the ones who had bought it, and Virgil knew from firsthand experience that kids can’t pick their parents.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly