in the first place

phrase

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 products are on the shelves, and there is still a certain prestige that comes with making it into Sephora in the first place. — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026

Crawford and Gerber reportedly want a full account of what happened from the moment Presley, 27, arrived until he was found dead, including why he was left alone in the first place. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 2 Oct. 2026

The first step to brighter-looking underarms is figuring out what might be irritating them in the first place. — Glamour, 2 Oct. 2026

What Visible Brands Can Learn From Invisible Ones The irony is that founders chasing public visibility could learn a great deal from the businesses that never sought visibility in the first place. — Sophie Attwood, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for in the first place

• aromatase
• oligoclase
• plagioclase
• polymerase
• streptokinase
• triphosphatase
• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace