How to Use at first in a Sentence

at first

phrase
  • Some species have droppings that look like ground pepper or coffee at first glance.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 1 July 2026
  • What may seem like a gimmick at first actually makes a lot of sense.
    — New Atlas, 2 July 2026
  • The joke, at first, was how ill-suited for the gig Friedland was on paper.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2026
  • Bird flu symptoms in humans can look like a bad cold at first, so tell your doctor about any contact with sick birds.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
  • Melink said no structures had been damaged by the fire, despite there being that concern at first.
    — Matan Josephy, Idaho Statesman, 6 July 2026
  • Cautious at first, Willis gradually opened up about the highs and lows of his career.
    — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2026
  • Zach Neto walked to begin the inning but got picked off at first base attempting to steal second.
    — Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • There were just six students at first, but the program began to grow almost immediately.
    — Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 28 June 2026
  • That shift may appear subtle at first glance, but its implications for business leaders are enormous.
    — Chad Angle, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • Manzardo got the out at first, while Braden Montgomery scored to give the Sox a 7-6 lead.
    — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Frazier started the school’s speech program in 2010 when the school first opened, with just six students involved at first.
    — Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026
  • Ewing reached on a fielding error by Olson at first base and scored on Soto's homer to left field in the third inning.
    — ABC News, 3 July 2026
  • Koss threw backwards and tried to nab Moreno at first, but the throw deflected off Moreno and bounced into the Giants’ first-base dugout.
    — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
  • If leaders are not present and actively developing people, the system degrades—quietly at first, then all at once.
    — Brian Coyne, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Not necessarily more formal opportunity, at least not at first, but more small moments.
    — Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor apparently do not believe in love at first sight.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
  • But Mullins, at first quietly and occasionally, started having better at-bats.
    — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 July 2026
  • If Perez needs additional time to recover, Nick Loftin and Josh Rojas can back up Jac Caglianone at first base.
    — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
  • The river has risen again and again, and in 1993, the Mississippi did not go over the levee, at first, but under it, burrowing a tunnel like a prisoner seeking freedom.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Habib Diarra’s early goal for Senegal and Rebin Sulaka’s 13th-minute dismissal for Iraq did not open the floodgates at first.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • Habib Diarra’s early goal for Senegal and Rebin Sulaka’s 13th-minute dismissal for Iraq did not open the floodgates at first.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • Moving to Chesterton, Seman began visiting the dunes daily in 2005, at first taking along his beloved golden retriever, Aslan.
    — Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026
  • Officers at first only found Chiturumani’s vehicle, according to an initial update from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
    — Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
  • Stunt designed to showcase agility, not AI rebellion Despite alarming many viewers at first glance, the viral video does not show a humanoid robot experiencing a software failure or acting independently.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'at first.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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