to begin with

phrase

: as the first thing to be considered

Examples of to begin with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Surely, the Trumpian economic scenario was wildly overoptimistic to begin with. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

In the Pretti case, what happened is that federal officials just blocked state and local officials from accessing the evidence and the scene to begin with. — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026

Not because anyone targeted the company but because the company was never encoded as a separate entity to begin with. — Joseph Byrum, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Pegula stood too far behind the baseline to begin with, but her first step also appeared to be backward, not forward, forcing an awkward return high above her strike zone, which allowed Gauff to put away balls or drag Pegula out of position. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 7 July 2026