in the first instance
idiom
formal
: before other events happen : as the first thing in a series of actions
You will be seen in the first instance by your own doctor who may then send you to a specialist.
Examples of in the first instance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The more important question, though, is why Brazil’s government was demanding those removals in the first instance.
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The Editors, National Review, 6 Sep. 2024
Throughout his narrative, his engrossing mixture of closeup witness and broad-view sociology calls to mind the late Howard S. Becker’s insistence that the best sociology is always, in the first instance, wide-angle reporting.
—The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
The popping of those bubbles led in the first instance to the Great Depression and in the second to a recession.
—Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 31 Mar. 2020
States are allowed in the first instance to set the time, place and manner of elections subject only to congressional override.
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for in the first instance 
The Editors, National Review, 6 Sep. 2024
Throughout his narrative, his engrossing mixture of closeup witness and broad-view sociology calls to mind the late Howard S. Becker’s insistence that the best sociology is always, in the first instance, wide-angle reporting.
—The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
The popping of those bubbles led in the first instance to the Great Depression and in the second to a recession.
—Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 31 Mar. 2020
States are allowed in the first instance to set the time, place and manner of elections subject only to congressional override.
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for in the first instance
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in the first instance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near in the first instance
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“In the first instance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20first%20instance. Accessed 22 Sep. 2024.
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