in the first instance

INITIALLY, at first, at the start, at the outset, in/at the beginning, to begin with, to start with, originally.

→ instance

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in the first instance

Firstly, originally

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Main Entry: ↑instance

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in the first instance british formal phrase

at the beginning of a series of actions

These scholarships will normally be awarded for one year in the first instance, with a likely extension.

Thesaurus: from or at the beginning_synonym

Main entry: first

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in the first (or second, etc.) instance

in the first (or second, etc.) place; at the first (or second, etc.) stage of a proceeding

a tribunal should be formed, in the first instance to document these and other charges

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in the first instance — see ↑instance

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Main Entry: ↑first

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in the first instance

formal : before other events happen : as the first thing in a series of actions

You will be seen in the first instance by your own doctor who may then send you to a specialist.

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Main Entry: ↑instance

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in the ˈfirst instance idiom

(formal) as the first part of a series of actions

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In the first instance, notify the police and then contact your insurance company.

Main entry: ↑instance_idiom