From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishin the first placein the first placea) used to talk about the beginning of a situation, or the situation before something happened Why did you agree to meet her in the first place? He wouldn’t have given you the job in the first place if he didn’t think you could do it. b) written used to give the first in a list of reasons or points Her success was secured by two factors. In the first place, she had the support of managers. → first
Examples from the Corpus
in the first place• I should never have gone in the first place!• The better approach, in my opinion, is to eat the right foods in the first place.• These women should never have been sent to prison in the first place.• This assumes that banks have surplus liquidity in the first place.• And there is the question of the relevance of the trading of information in the first place.• He didn't remember being given that form; they had probably not even given it to him in the first place.• That's how the Richardson's got the Parrot in the first place.• In the first place, New York is very cold in the winter, and in the second place I don't want to move anyway.• Well, in the first place, Quinn would never say such a thing.• In the first place, they have a more experienced team, so they're more likely to win.• We robbed them of their land in the first place to reward the Annamese who collaborated with us.• But he came in the first place, to something he knew would be far beyond him.• We haven't made a decision, because, in the first place, we do not know enough at this point.in the first placein the first placea) FIRSTused to introduce a series of points in an argument, discussion etc In the first place, I’m too busy, and in the second I don’t really want to go. b) BEGINNINGused to talk about what someone did or should have done at the start of a situation I wish I’d never got involved in the first place! → placeExamples from the Corpus
in the first place• But he came in the first place, to something he knew would be far beyond him.• The better approach, in my opinion, is to eat the right foods in the first place.• He didn't remember being given that form; they had probably not even given it to him in the first place.• And there is the question of the relevance of the trading of information in the first place.• We robbed them of their land in the first place to reward the Annamese who collaborated with us.• This assumes that banks have surplus liquidity in the first place.• That's how the Richardson's got the Parrot in the first place.• These women should never have been sent to prison in the first place. 