FIRST OFF Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

first off

adverb

Definition of first off

as in first

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for first off

Adverb

This album arrives seven and a half years after its nearest predecessor, and 34 months since it was first announced in January 2024.

— Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 9 Nov. 2026
The region’s agricultural resilience, the food community’s innate ability to adapt, pivot and survive, would repeat itself more than a century later during the COVID-19 pandemic, but first came a shift toward commercial production.

— Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of first

Adverb

Chambers himself is now accused of riot, conspiracy to riot, and money laundering offenses, defense attorney Aitor Martínez Jiménez told the Washington Examiner.

— Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Nov. 2026
To certain journalists, there’s little point in distinguishing between AI and human authorship now that many people use AI to research and draft.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026

Definition of now

Adverb

As speaker, Bacon will oversee a 49-member Democratic supermajority in the House when the legislature reconvenes early next year.

— Christa Swanson, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
Study participants who drank warm water were also able to pass gas significantly earlier than those who did not.

— Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of early

Adverb

One Herr Steinbrüchel, of Zurich, was said to have been miraculously cured of his chest disease, and before long preparations of Gaisschottenkur were being used to combat everything from dysentery to gonorrhea.

— D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
But the time when those decisions go from future to current business, including with Moss, will start creeping up here before long.

— Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of before long

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

first names

first off

first-rate

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“First off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/first%20off. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of first off

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gauntlet

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes