as in first
coming before all others in time or order
the leadoff batter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to begin
to take the first step in (a process or course of action)
plans to lead off the news conference with a prepared statement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of leadoff
Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Nathan Lukes led off Game 4 and played left field in Springer's place on Tuesday, a game the Blue Jays won 6-2.
—Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Daulton Varsho led off with a single and Ernie Clement doubled, and Dave Roberts made the call for Banda.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025
Freddie Freeman homered leading off the bottom of the 18th inning, Shohei Ohtani went deep twice in another record-setting performance and the Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 in Game 3 on Monday night to win a World Series classic.
—Beth Harris, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leadoff
Verb
By walking Ohtani, Schneider kept turning the lineup over and that roulette wheel finally landed on Freeman, who homered to lead off the bottom of the 18th inning.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Nathan Lukes led off Game 4 and played left field in Springer's place on Tuesday, a game the Blue Jays won 6-2.
—Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Daulton Varsho led off with a single and Ernie Clement doubled, and Dave Roberts made the call for Banda.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025
Freddie Freeman homered leading off the bottom of the 18th inning, Shohei Ohtani went deep twice in another record-setting performance and the Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 in Game 3 on Monday night to win a World Series classic.
—Beth Harris, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leadoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leadoff
Adjective
-
My first apartment on 15th and Union Square was a studio in a classy old building with marble pillars, one small room with a bigger bathroom and strangely an even bigger closet.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The purchase was the first investment by a Middle Eastern carrier in an East Asian airline.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
On the plane, Dick clutches the slingshot and begins sweating and muttering to himself before becoming unresponsive.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Numerous reports and videos of thundersnow in downtown Chicago began to roll in after midnight local time.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
An initial target of £2,000 had doubled by the time Scunthorpe confirmed on Thursday that he had been discharged from hospital.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The initial childhood of Victor Frankenstein lends itself more to that age of enlightenment.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Pre-production is slated for Q3 2026, with filming scheduled to commence in Q1 2027.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Other players, however, insist that disarmament must commence first, or else any political process will be subjected to Hamas’s interference, and to arm-twisting by those who can exert influence with their guns and tunnels.—
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
In addition to performing his new song, Aldean presented Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, with the inaugural Charlie Kirk Legacy Award.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Pilot Season, which launched in 2013, was an attempt to add a viewer-forward sheen to Hollywood’s traditional buffet of inaugural episodes.—
Claire McNear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Pandemic deals gave way to record rents, and evictions started up again.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Both Roseman and Fangio have been fairly resistant to moving Cooper DeJean, their starting nickel, to outside cornerback, although the CB2 spot was a question mark during the offseason and has at times been a liability during the 2025 season.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The role would typically involve smashing a bottle of champagne against the bow before sending the vessel out on its maiden voyage.—
Mackenzie Schmidt,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The current target for the maiden season is 2029.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
This translation by Nancy Naomi Carlson preserves the rich musicality of the original French, as well as its frequent use of wordplay and often unusual word choice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Jim Carrey inducted Soundgarden, bringing out the late Chris Cornell’s eldest daughter, Lily Cornell Silver, to speak about her father and introduce a performance by his former Soundgarden bandmates, including original member Hiro Yamamoto, with Taylor Momsen and Brandi Carlisle singing vocals.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Leadoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leadoff. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share