as in originally
in the beginning
firstly, gather all the ingredients together
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Recent Examples of firstly
Um, firstly, thank you everybody for, for, for coming and joining us today for this conversation.
—
Outside Online, 21 Jan. 2026
The resurgence of trends that were popular back in the 1990s came firstly as quite the surprise.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
Santo Domingo was wearing two hats at the event, firstly representing the Bird on a Rock collection, for which Nathalie Verdeille, Tiffany’s chief artistic officer of jewelry and high jewelry, reimagined Jean Schlumberger’s iconic design.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
That's firstly true about the size of the drone itself.
—New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firstly
Outside Online, 21 Jan. 2026
The resurgence of trends that were popular back in the 1990s came firstly as quite the surprise.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
Santo Domingo was wearing two hats at the event, firstly representing the Bird on a Rock collection, for which Nathalie Verdeille, Tiffany’s chief artistic officer of jewelry and high jewelry, reimagined Jean Schlumberger’s iconic design.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
That's firstly true about the size of the drone itself.
—New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firstly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firstly
Adverb
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This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network that includes Maryland Matters, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.—
Kevin Hardy,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Apr. 2026
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Original crew members, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, who was originally slated to be commander but would have been making her first spaceflight, and Stephanie Wilson, a veteran of three space shuttle flights, were pulled from the mission.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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The bill initially exempted counties that couldn't afford the cost, but the exemption was removed after pushback from environmental groups.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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This case is a reminder that even when airlines initially deny a claim, persistence — and a solid understanding of your rights — can pay off.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Firstly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firstly. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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