First-hand

adj, adv

adj, adv ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Alternative spelling of firsthand. alt-of, alternative, not-comparable

    "In order to gain first-hand experience of the operation of the new services I made a footplate journey on the only down two-hour train in the current timetable, the 8.30 a.m. Paddington [to Birmingham], a new express put on to offset the withdrawal of the 8.40 a.m. from Euston."

Adverb
  1. 1
    Directly or from personal experience. not-comparable

    "Its primary role is to enable Network Rail's engineers, management and stakeholders to see the condition of the infrastructure and track first-hand - in the warm and dry, and in a position of safety."

Synonyms

All synonyms
at first handnew

Example

More examples

"Check out some of these first-hand testimonials. I have to be as objective as possible."

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.