in the first place

1. As the first of several items in order of importance. This phrase is usually accompanied by in the second place, third place , and so on, as in I'm not joining the health club because, in the first place, I don't like their hours, and in the second place, I can't afford the dues . [First half of 1600s] Also see for one .

2. From the beginning, at the outset, before anything else. For example, Why didn't you tell me in the first place that you've decided to leave? or He could have bought a new one in the first place .

Example Sentences

The Born rule bridges the math of quantum theory to the outcomes of experiments, which makes the field a legitimate scientific discipline in the first place.

From Salon

As I developed the podcast, though, I realized there was an important part that too many historians, politicians and activists rarely focused on: the fact that Proposition 187 overwhelmingly passed in the first place.

From Los Angeles Times

So his reasons are completely dubious in the first place,” Berry continued.

From Salon

But you need enough professional vanity to go onstage in the first place.

From Los Angeles Times

But If these two individuals are now one, does that mean their minds literally melded — or that perhaps they were never even sentient in the first place?

From Salon

Related Words

• basically
• chiefly
• first and foremost
• generally
• importantly
• largely
• mostly
• notably
• particularly
• predominantly