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
Chourio, who led off the Brewers’ Game 2 loss with a home run off Yoshinobu Yamamoto, was replaced during his at-bat by pinch hitter Blake Perkins in the seventh inning.
—
C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
The Dodgers started off fast as Shohei Ohtani led off in the bottom of the first with a triple off of Aaron Ashby.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill led off with a home run to trim the Cubs' lead to 3-1.
—Valentina Martinez, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Jordan Beck led off the ninth with a home run off reliever Ryan Walker, cutting the lead to 4-3.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2025
Carlos Narváez led off with a single, then walked back to the dugout as Nate Eaton took his place.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
Portola led off the appeals requests made to the CIF-SS Council on Thursday at The Grand conference center.
—Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
The Dodgers started off fast as Shohei Ohtani led off in the bottom of the first with a triple off of Aaron Ashby.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill led off with a home run to trim the Cubs' lead to 3-1.
—Valentina Martinez, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Jordan Beck led off the ninth with a home run off reliever Ryan Walker, cutting the lead to 4-3.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2025
Carlos Narváez led off with a single, then walked back to the dugout as Nate Eaton took his place.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
Portola led off the appeals requests made to the CIF-SS Council on Thursday at The Grand conference center.
—Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for led off
Verb
-
Merritt began playing at Pulaski Heights more than a decade ago.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Oct. 2025
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Still, determining how the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve actually began required painstaking analysis.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Thus commenced an awkward situation in which the next Rutgers president would inherit an athletic director who had just been hired by his predecessor.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
16 Oct. 2025
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Initial trial retrievals of fuel debris from Unit 2 have already commenced.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At the back of a buzzy canteen, there are a pair of meeting spaces, whose names revolve with the latest academy players to have started a Premier League game for Newcastle.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Skilled forgers started to catch on, endeavoring to cash in on that development.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Chrome Hearts tour got off to a really strong start in Europe.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
15 Oct. 2025
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Among the new shows, Little Bear Ridge Road, which marks Scott Rudin’s return to Broadway producing, played its first eight previews last week and got off to somewhat of a slow start with capacity at 83 percent and a tally of $371,635 at the Booth Theatre.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The performance opened with Hoying singing live, adding a personal touch to the tribute.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
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Long before spots like Rosa Sky and Sexy Fish arrived and just months before Komodo opened, Brickell was more of a financial center and not the best place for a party.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Led off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/led%20off. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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