at first

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

What I actually saw was so implausible, so impossible, that at first I did not understand what I was looking at.

From Slate

The buildout was financed at first by Meta’s substantial cash flows, but the accelerating pace of the capital expenditures sent Meta to financing markets.

From Barron's

Wall Street loves to pay for growth and will probably help fund AI-assisted roll-ups at first.

From The Wall Street Journal

At first sight, the final score is all that mattered, this 34-31 wild-card playoff victory over the Carolina Panthers at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Saturday proving to be a soul-testing triumph that will provide powerful preparation for the challenges ahead.

From Los Angeles Times

"In fact, at first I was skeptical about the signal as it was too strong to be real. But after months of verification, we've confirmed this gas is at least five times hotter than predicted, and even hotter and more energetic than what we find in many present-day clusters."

From Science Daily