firsthand
adjective
first·hand
ˈfərst-ˈhand 
: obtained by, coming from, or being direct personal observation or experience
a firsthand account of the war
… had a firsthand view of the turmoil that wracked the region.—
William W. Finan, Jr.
William W. Finan, Jr.
firsthand
adverb
Examples of firsthand in a Sentence
He gave a firsthand account of the battle.
She draws on firsthand experiences for her novel.
Recent Examples on the Web
In the earlier decision, Engelmayer wrote that the grand jury in Maxwell's case was not empaneled as part of the investigation – but afterward – and as a result there was no firsthand witness testimony.
—Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Referring to the same armed campaign, the U.N. announced in early August that the M23 had killed at least 319 villagers in North Kivu, citing firsthand accounts gathered by U.N. rights investigators.
—Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 20 Aug. 2025
This showroom offers the public a firsthand look at their complete line of fitness equipment, adaptive training demos, and outreach events.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
His head coach got a firsthand look at London’s approach last week at training camp.
—Hailey Hurst, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firsthand
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Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Referring to the same armed campaign, the U.N. announced in early August that the M23 had killed at least 319 villagers in North Kivu, citing firsthand accounts gathered by U.N. rights investigators.
—Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 20 Aug. 2025
This showroom offers the public a firsthand look at their complete line of fitness equipment, adaptive training demos, and outreach events.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
His head coach got a firsthand look at London’s approach last week at training camp.
—Hailey Hurst, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firsthand
Cite this Entry
“Firsthand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firsthand. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
firsthand
adjective
first·hand
ˈfərst-ˈhand
: coming directly from the original source
a firsthand account of the war
firsthand
adverb
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