in the first place
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The issues that caused the rancour in the first place have not gone away.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
Aid returning to Ituri with Ebola-specific funding would be more effective if public health aid simply hadn’t left in the first place.
From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026
The pieces were on loan from a Bucharest museum, whose head was promptly sacked for lending the works out in the first place.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
Often no real wrongs are committed in the first place, but companies settle to avoid a very low probability of extremely large damages.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
Nixon wanted to know how such an unstable character had gotten hold of McNamara’s study in the first place.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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