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 paperwork may have also caused the problem in the first place, Boeing disclosed this week. —Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 27 June 2024

Instead, the key to avoiding an ant problem is keeping ants out of your home in the first place. —Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2024

Reversing cognitive decline, after all, would mean turning back the damage done from diseases that impair cognition in the first place. —Philip Bump, Washington Post, 25 June 2024

Uber is more popular in NYC than Lyft, so Uber argues that lower wages for Lyft drivers led to the rule being instituted in the first place. —Emily Price, PCMAG, 25 June 2024