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
Acuña led off with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Nicaragua catcher Ronald Rivera.
—
Dallas Morning News, 10 Mar. 2026
Soto led off with a five-pitch walk.
—Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
The Friars led off the seventh with five consecutive singles.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
Adrian Rodriguez and Temo Becerra led off the inning with a pair of singles.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 7 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
The Angels’ Christian Moore led off the third inning with a solo homer to left.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Dallas Morning News, 10 Mar. 2026
Soto led off with a five-pitch walk.
—Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
The Friars led off the seventh with five consecutive singles.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
Adrian Rodriguez and Temo Becerra led off the inning with a pair of singles.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 7 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
The Angels’ Christian Moore led off the third inning with a solo homer to left.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for led off
Verb
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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
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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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Last year the buds got off to a late start as well, also reaching Stage 1 on March 11.—
Jason Samenow,
Washington Post,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Colony got off to a slow start with some ball-security issues mostly due to Birmingham junior Christian Graham.—
Justin Vigil Zuniga,
Daily News,
11 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 12 Mar. 2026.
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