at first

Idioms  

1. Initially, at the start, as in At first the berries were green, but when they ripened they turned bright red. [Second half of 1500s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at first

Tice laughed at first, Ali recalls the driver saying, apparently believing the man he trusted was joking.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

"What is especially fascinating about the hat tile is that, although the resulting pattern appears irregular at first glance, it is actually constructed from the honeycomb lattice," says lead author Yuto Moritake.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

Fearing that the surprise visitor might be a “dangle”—someone who pretends to switch sides to gain a foothold in the enemy camp—his hosts were wary at first.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Sept. 11 was a politically unifying event at first, as wars tend to be.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

Enigma looks like a typewriter at first glance.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• basically
• formerly