as in originally
in the beginning
firstly, gather all the ingredients together
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Recent Examples of firstly
In a recent strategy memo, Senate Democrats’ campaign arm firstly and optimistically assumes the party will hold Michigan and New Hampshire, where Democratic incumbents are choosing not to seek another term, and Georgia, where Sen. Jon Ossoff is.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
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
That's firstly true about the size of the drone itself.
—New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firstly
Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
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
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
-
David Lindsay-Abaire originally wrote this dramatic story of a woman whose body ages at over four times the normal rate as a non-musical play in 2001.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
-
The Boss is coming to Philadelphia, but now a few weeks later than originally planned.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Adverb
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Buntrock stepped back as chairman and CEO a second time in 1997, but initially remained on Waste Management’s board.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
After initially dousing the fire between the theater’s fourth and fifth floors, firefighters found additional pockets of flames between the fifth and eights floors, with the fire finally brought fully under control a little after noon, officials said.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Firstly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firstly. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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