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.
"What we now need to do is stop the harm happening in the first place. This is really relevant when a child dies, but we need to stop them dying in the first place."
From BBC
Love yourself by letting go of what was, thankfully, never ours to control in the first place — the divine divination of love.
From Los Angeles Times
Why do we boo in the first place?
From BBC
What remained unclear was how these molecules formed in space in the first place.
From Science Daily
"The main reasons I took the job in the first place were the players," Tuchel 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.
