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

So rather than operating in survival mode, organizations should start devoting their energy to proactive strategies that mitigate problems in the first place. —Dave Silberman, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

Plus, taking care of habitats so species don't become endangered in the first place is the gold standard. —Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 27 Oct. 2024

That’s in part because there are just so many governments in Illinois in the first place — thousands of them, more than any other state in the nation. —Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2024

Trump could also grant Musk a waiver exempting him from the need to divest in the first place. —Bygreg McKenna, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2024