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
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Recent Examples of leadoff
Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
CBS News, 10 June 2026
Luis Arraez led off the ninth, and Chapman followed by doubling home Arraez to cut the deficit to 10-7.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for leadoff
Adjective
Those four all ranked among the top 40 in baseball in non-leadoff plate appearances with the bases empty last season.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
Angels starter Reid Detmers retired his first 15 batters before Shay Whitcomb homered leading off the sixth.
—CBS News, 10 June 2026
Luis Arraez led off the ninth, and Chapman followed by doubling home Arraez to cut the deficit to 10-7.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for leadoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leadoff
Adjective
-
The righty was later pulled after allowing singles to the first two batters of the fifth inning, both of whom later scored and counted against Morris’ statline.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
-
The first serious legal challenge to the House settlement will come courtesy of a USC freshman linebacker.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The punitive phase of the civil trial began Thursday, after jurors determined that Grossman had acted with malice and oppression and Erickson with malice, oppression or fraud.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Many before Labīd and many after him across the long arc of Arabic, have begun their poems by standing upon ruins.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Elon Musk’s SpaceX — rocket manufacturer, satellite internet service provider, AI firm and owner of X (aka Twitter) all rolled into one — has officially set a record for the biggest IPO in history with its initial stock pricing.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
11 June 2026
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The programming follows the chefs from initial concept and ingredient sourcing through recipe development and testing, offering passengers a behind-the-scenes look at how the meals came together.—
Samantha Leal,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Homer Gere, Yvonne Chapman, Ellen Barkin, Willem Dafoe and Michael Douglas have rounded out the cast of Oliver Stone‘s upcoming pic White Lies as principal photography commences.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
10 June 2026
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Mercury’s pre-retrograde shadow (the weeks leading up to the celestial backspin when the planet slows down), which began on June 13 in water Cancer, starts the story for the planet’s moonwalk that commences on June 29.—
Lisa Stardust,
Vogue,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Hurst, a Colorado native who grew up in Lakewood, was already 13 by the time of the Rockies’ inaugural season in 1993.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
11 June 2026
-
After years of buildup, the 2026 FIFA World Cup officially begins Thursday when Mexico takes on South Africa in the inaugural match of the event.—
Kellis Robinett,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
The four men still trapped have started to show health problems, including skin, stomach and intestinal issues.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
Aranda followed with his 10th homer, but the Rays (35-19) were just getting started.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Pyka said DropShip completed its maiden flight just six months after the program launched.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
11 June 2026
-
Bangladesh, which won the first game by 86 runs on the DLS Method, is targeting a maiden ODI series win over Australia.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
The War Eagles got off to a strong start in the fall with a state championship in volleyball and followed with a productive winter, earning state titles in girls basketball and boys and girls swimming.—
Chip Saye,
AJC.com,
9 June 2026
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Kansas City has gotten off to one of its wettest starts on record, with April and May driving the total and far exceeding normal precipitation for those two months.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Leadoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leadoff. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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