Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use firsthand in a sentence

17 example sentences · adjective, adverb

Firsthand means direct, without intermediate stages. Example: “I recently received a firsthand report from an old friend — John A.”

Examples of firsthand by meaning

adjectiveDirect, without intermediate stages.

  • 1990 March, Cliff Gromer, Firsthand Report: Yamaha WaveRunner III, Popular Mechanics.
  • I recently received a firsthand report from an old friend — John A.1967, Ivan Terence Sanderson, Uninvited Visitors
  • Ours is a generation of aromantics, jaded about matters of the heart — often before gaining firsthand experience.1986, Wanda Urbanska, The Singular Generation, Doubleday & Company, published 1986, →ISBN, page 86

adjectiveNot previously owned or used; contrasted with secondhand.

  • a firsthand copy

adverbDirectly or from personal experience.

  • In the course of three intensive days in and around Guiyu's four villages, the small investigative team witnessed firsthand what passes for recycling of e-waste in Asia.2002, Jim Puckett, 5:35 from the start, in Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia, spoken by Mary Ryan, Basel Action Network, →OCLC
  • Banks knew that firsthand because he had tried on several occasions to get Quinley to talk about other people, and Quinley would never do it.2007, Ichabauk Rum, “Handra Delamore”, in Ill: A Novel: Book One, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 63
  • Howard Davidowitz, who has studied consumer habits firsthand for decades, said that in the last three years he has seen more cash purchases at luxury boutiques like Louis Vuitton and semiluxury chains like Coach.2007 January 14, Shivani Vora, “Money Doesn’t Talk”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 Nov 2020

More sentences with firsthand

  • The same sort of doublethink is evident in the White House’s treatment of firsthand impeachment witnesses.2019 December 2, Eric Lutz, “Trump Lawyer Cites No Due Process as Reason to Sit Out Due Process”, in Vanity Fair, archived from the…. From the entry doublethink
  • But it was Grace Spa that I excursed to and that I'm writing about firsthand.2015 April 8, Dina Mishev, “Facial refreshes skin after winter outdoors”, in Jackson Hole News&Guide, Jackson, Wyo.: Teton Media Works…. From the entry excurse
  • I am grateful that she shares her firsthand accounts and perspectives as a Kanien’kehá:ka woman.2015 July 10, Jessica Deer, “Opinion: Looking back at the Oka Crisis and ahead to the future”, in The Montreal Gazette. From the entry Kanien'kehá:ka
  • An ice cream maker gives local school children a firsthand look at the ice cream process.1985, Restaurant Business, page 176. From the entry ice cream maker
  • Those who experienced the harassment firsthand warned that if not taken seriously, the behaviors underlying Gamergate would fester.2025 March 23, Harmeet Kaur, “How Gamergate foreshadowed the toxic hellscape that the internet has now become”, in CNN. From the entry gamergate
  • Focusing on firsthand experiences, the research interviewed key informants.2024 August, Glena Gandalera Alos, Cora Murphy Dogui-is, Warren Moyao, Vicente Pangket Nayosan, “Police-Community Relations in Baguio…. From the entry Abanao - Zandueta - Chugum - Kayang - Otek
  • In setting out to discover who would dare inundate his property, he received a firsthand lesson in marble-cake federalism.1991, Jack E. Holmes, Michael J. Engelhardt, Robert E. Elder, American Government: Essentials & Perspectives, McGraw-Hill, Inc., →ISBN…. From the entry marble-cake federalism
  • He learns best from firsthand experience.1962, California Journal of Elementary Education, volume 31, page 205. From the entry out of bounds
  • He encouraged seeing hunger firsthand by volunteering at shelters and talking about it to keep the issue at the forefront as a matter of "moral urgency.".2023 September 19, Solcyre Burga, “'We Can Do It': Celebrity Chef Andrew Zimmern on Finding the Will to Solve Hunger”, in Time, New York…. From the entry incumbent
  • The topic of "tip baiting" has gone viral on TikTok once again after one driver, who works for both Uber Eats and DoorDash, recently discovered firsthand what the term means.2022 November 15, Cecilia Lenzen, “'I am so disgusted': Uber Eats driver calls out customer who tip-baited her—making only $2 on an…. From the entry tip baiting

Meaning of firsthand

  1. adjective Direct, without intermediate stages.
  2. adjective Not previously owned or used; contrasted with secondhand.
  3. adverb Directly or from personal experience.

Full definition of firsthand

Questions about firsthand in a sentence

How do you use firsthand in a sentence?
Firsthand is used as an adjective and adverb. For example: “I recently received a firsthand report from an old friend — John A.”
What is a short sentence with firsthand?
“a firsthand copy”
What does firsthand mean?
Firsthand means direct, without intermediate stages.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: firsthand (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this page: “How to use firsthand in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/firsthand. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.