in the first place

/ɪnðə fˈɜːstplˌeɪs/

in the first place

at the very beginning and before everything else

synonyms : primarily

Examples

1. What brought you to Chicago in the first place?

2. I didn't care much for the job in the first place.

3. 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.

4. We should never have agreed to let him borrow the money in the first place.