to start with

Idioms  

1. Also, to begin with. In the first place, initially, as in We'll notify him by e-mail to start with, or To begin with, they haven't paid their taxes in years. The first term dates from the second half of the 1800s, the variant from the mid-1500s. Also see for openers.

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Example Sentences

While they may pay off eventually, to start with at least, “a new technology initially delivers more splash than macroeconomic results.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

Should he have selected different players to start with?

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

The general consensus is that if we really want to put people on Mars someday, which will be exponentially more difficult, we have to start with the moon.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

It’s focused on helium-3 to start with, since the gas is rare on the Earth but expected to be found in greater abundance on the moon.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

I wanted that, to move on, to forget, to start with a clean slate.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• initially
• originally