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

“We’re going to start with an even plate, though. We’re not going to look at what people lost in the past....You’re going to make a lot of money but we’re not going to go back.”

From Los Angeles Times

Any discussion of Washington buying Greenland therefore would need to start with Greenlanders telling Copenhagen they want independence.

From The Wall Street Journal

His big brother Noah adds, “And it’s what spurs on your entire character, the courage from that scene, so it’s a big thing to start with.”

From Los Angeles Times

"Guys, to start with that -- and I noticed that you receive selective information about everything -- I came here to be the manager of the Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United," Amorim said.

From Barron's

"Guys, to start with that -- and I noticed that you receive selective information about everything -- I came here to be the manager of the Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United," Amorim said.

From Barron's

Related Words

• initially
• originally