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.

"It's just literally impossible to predict, except that I think it will be quite slow at first," he said of output.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

If you stop working before you claim Social Security, you might have no money at all coming in at first.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

The ex-Hill editor thought the acquisition seemed fitting at first, since the newspaper also aimed for objective, center-leaning D.C. journalism.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

It became clear that what at first appeared to him and his father as another of the floods that afflicted Mystic every few years grew inexorably through the night until it became monstrous.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

‘It was really slow at first, the way things got worse,’ Gabi says.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler