in the first place
Idioms-
From the beginning, at the outset, before anything else. For example, Why didn't you tell me in the first place that you've decided to leave? or He could have bought a new one in the first place .
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As the first of several items in order of importance. This phrase is usually accompanied by in the second place, third place , and so on, as in I'm not joining the health club because, in the first place, I don't like their hours, and in the second place, I can't afford the dues . [First half of 1600s] Also see for one .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is also hoped that making food waste collections available to all homes will encourage people to reduce how much food they waste in the first place.
From BBC
The only thing Mom hates more than accepting help is needing it in the first place, and that’s what being Native seems to mean to her.
From Literature
“I’m not going to argue with you. You will decline the offer to that school, since you didn’t have my permission to apply in the first place.”
From Literature
This was probably why the Afterlife was ready to get rid of him in the first place.
From Literature
"There's no way you can ask farmers to absorb those additional costs, because they're not making any money really in the first place," she said.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
