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.

"It was at first mainly an economic idea, about no longer paying for the rest of Canada," Boily, a professor at the University of Alberta, said of Alberta's independence movement.

From Barron's

"This is a dramatic film so it was quite an adjustment and discomfort at first."

From BBC

The accounts will at first be funded with government money, and perhaps most importantly, children can enroll when they are born.

From MarketWatch

“At first I thought, These people sound a little bit crazy,” Hanrahan says of the raw feeders she encountered online.

From The Wall Street Journal

At first glance, this constant maneuvering might sound like proof that the system is working as intended.

From Science Daily