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.
“Because when she told me to go back to the table today, she said she didn’t know why I’d left in the first place.”
From Literature
Interfering with him was why I was here on a training mission in the first place.
From Literature
"If they're underweight, or they've struggled into the winter in the first place, this is a double hard hit for them."
From BBC
But it doesn’t meaningfully change the math that encourages homeowners to pass on the home to their heirs in the first place.
Denmark’s leadership politely said “no thanks,” but it turns out they didn’t have to: No ship was ever “on its way” in the first place.
From Salon
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.
