Firsthand

/ˈfɜːstˌhænd/ · adjective

Meaning

Direct, without intermediate stages..

Definitions by Sense

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

Example Sentences

firsthand knowledge

1990 March, Cliff Gromer, Firsthand Report: Yamaha WaveRunner III, Popular Mechanics.

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.

Ours is a generation of aromantics, jaded about matters of the heart — often before gaining firsthand experience.

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.

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...

The same sort of doublethink is evident in the White House’s treatment of firsthand impeachment witnesses.

a firsthand copy

Synonyms for firsthand

Antonyms for firsthand

Related Words

Word Forms

• first hand
• first-hand

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions