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.

"She sent a message and at first I couldn't make out what she was saying, I was very confused," Jane said.

From BBC • 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

You don’t need fireworks or an angelic choir singing at first glance.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

I was blind to it at first, but with Opal, I recalled the powerlessness I felt at not being able to suggest a trade, or even refuse one I thought abominable.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff