as in began
to take the first step in (a process or course of action)
plans to lead off the news conference with a prepared statement
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Recent Examples of led off
Wilson led off the inning with a single that squeaked by the second baseman.
—
Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
But her race was thrown off course as she was led off the path by a media vehicle, according to Athletics Illustrated.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Watson led off the inning with a lineout before allowing a single, hit by pitch and a walk to load the bases.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 2 Mar. 2026
Three runners — Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat — were led off course by an official race vehicle with less than 2 miles to go.
—Caitlyn Stroh-Page, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Nelson Rada led off the game by dropping a perfect bunt up the third base line, and reaching on an infield hit.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
The Angels’ Christian Moore led off the third inning with a solo homer to left.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Paddington was led off stage in an adorable moment.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Camillie Bened led off for France, but one penalty loop during her standing shoot set the team back to 16th place.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
But her race was thrown off course as she was led off the path by a media vehicle, according to Athletics Illustrated.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Watson led off the inning with a lineout before allowing a single, hit by pitch and a walk to load the bases.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 2 Mar. 2026
Three runners — Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat — were led off course by an official race vehicle with less than 2 miles to go.
—Caitlyn Stroh-Page, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Nelson Rada led off the game by dropping a perfect bunt up the third base line, and reaching on an infield hit.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
The Angels’ Christian Moore led off the third inning with a solo homer to left.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Paddington was led off stage in an adorable moment.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Camillie Bened led off for France, but one penalty loop during her standing shoot set the team back to 16th place.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for led off
Verb
-
That marked the first such departure order issued by Washington in Saudi Arabia since the war began.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
9 Mar. 2026
-
His win in Istanbul in 2019 represented a crushing blow to Erdogan, whose own political ascent began as the city’s mayor.—
Beril Akman,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The team’s 2026 model car wasn’t in its wind tunnel until mid-April last year, when other teams had commenced such testing in January 2025.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Gates tells Outdoor Life that Miller’s citizen petition was introduced to the CPW Commission in June, just a day before a furbearer working group commenced to provide recommendations on furbearer harvest.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Oil prices have surged above $100 a barrel after more major Middle East countries started reducing production, as storage fills up due to the closure of Hormuz.—
Louise Moon,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The shows, once Nick and I started going to them that fall, were something different entirely.—
Andrew Martin,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Lincoln got off to a relatively rough beginning this season, starting off 10-8 after playing some rough competition before district play.—
Brad Harris,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Scream 7 got off to a shaky start, with Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin departing due to scheduling conflicts and Barrera getting fired due to social media posts about the Israel-Palestine conflict.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Impala Platinum has opened formal talks with Zimbabwe’s central bank and lined up meetings with both the South African and Zimbabwean governments to press for clarity on Harare’s export-earnings policy, its CEO told Semafor, escalating a commercial cash-flow dispute into bilateral negotiations.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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The 28-year-old California native faces growing as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have opened a commanding gap atop the tennis world.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Led off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/led%20off. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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