in the first place

idiom

1

—used at the end of a sentence to indicate what was true or what should have been done at the beginning of a situation

We should never have gone there in the first place.

I didn't care much for the job in the first place.

2

—used when listing the most important parts of something or the most important reasons for something

I'm not going to tell you because, in the first place, it's none of your business, and in the second place, you would tell everyone else.

Examples of in the first place in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The loss of Stanton is especially crushing because he was relied upon to help offset the loss of Soto, a hitter who was impossible to replace in the first place. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 27 Mar. 2025

So far no one has suggested that the deaths are the result of enemy action—that is to say, Belarusian or Russian action—except in the sense that Americans are in Lithuania in the first place to deter a Russian attack. —Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025

Thankfully, there are ways to remove these stains and also prevent them from happening in the first place. —Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 26 Mar. 2025

Self-care is what keeps you from breaking down in the first place. —Tess Brigham, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for in the first place

• aromatase
• hydrogenase
• nitrogenase
• oligoclase
• oxygenase
• plagioclase
• polymerase
• streptokinase
• triphosphatase
• abase
• airspace
• apace