Firsthand Meaning
/ˈfɜːstˌhænd/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjDirect, without intermediate stages.
adjNot previously owned or used; contrasted with secondhand.
Sentence Examples
I got this information firsthand.
Tom gave police a firsthand account of what had happened.
She gained firsthand experience by working as an intern last summer.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She gained ____ experience of poverty by living among the villagers for a month.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She gained ____ experience of the culture by living and working in a remote mountain village.
Word Origin & History
From first + hand.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I recently received a firsthand report from an old friend — John A. Keel — who until last year was as skeptical a newshound as I have known."
— 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:
"Given Mr. Kissinger’s firsthand experience in the anguishing decisions about withdrawal from Vietnam, the disclosure sparked the inevitable Iraq-Vietnam comparisons that Mr. Bush has assiduously sought to avoid."
— 2007 January 2, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Kissinger’s Appearance Revives Memories of Vietnam Era”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 22 May 2020:
"But in his strongest criticism yet of the superdatabase, Sir Ken Macdonald, the former director of public prosecutions, who has firsthand experience of working with intelligence and law enforcement agencies, told the Guardian such assurances would prove worthless in the long run..."
— 2008 December 31, Alan Travis, Richard Norton-Taylor, “Private firm may track all email and calls”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 13 Sep 2018:
"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 original on 25 Oct 2021:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She gained ____ experience of poverty by living among the villagers for a month.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She gained ____ experience of the culture by living and working in a remote mountain village.