as in originally
in the beginning
firstly, gather all the ingredients together
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Recent Examples of firstly
However, what has supercharged the project in 2025 and piqued the interest of studios was firstly recognition in April by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of the technology as part of a new industry standard in cinematic accessibility.
—
Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Mandelson is no stranger to controversy, and twice resigned from Tony Blair's governments: firstly in 1998 over an undeclared interest-free loan; and 2001 over accusations of using his position to influence a passport decision.
—Barney Henderson, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Questions about the forward were bound to be asked, firstly because of the flames around him over the summer and also because Pochettino’s comments about Pulisic sitting out the Gold Cup only served to fan them.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
This is, firstly, a lot of ground to cover in a project that was ultimately forced to be 82 minutes.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firstly
Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Mandelson is no stranger to controversy, and twice resigned from Tony Blair's governments: firstly in 1998 over an undeclared interest-free loan; and 2001 over accusations of using his position to influence a passport decision.
—Barney Henderson, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Questions about the forward were bound to be asked, firstly because of the flames around him over the summer and also because Pochettino’s comments about Pulisic sitting out the Gold Cup only served to fan them.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
This is, firstly, a lot of ground to cover in a project that was ultimately forced to be 82 minutes.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firstly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firstly
Adverb
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Nampa detectives eventually learned about Salat’s case in Ada County, where he originally was charged with three counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16, court records show.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Jan. 2026
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Officials originally proposed upgrading the city’s largest cricket stadium, The Gabba, to accommodate the Games, though the project’s price tag was heavily criticized.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
7 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Ross, who was one of several federal agents involved in the arrest, initially drew his service weapon, but holstered the gun after Muñoz-Guatemala stopped his car and raised his hands, according to the affidavit.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
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While Qu was initially arrested by immigration authorities, he was later released due to a lack of detention space and was given an immigration removal proceeding scheduled for 2027, officials said.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Firstly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firstly. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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