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
Ceddanne Rafaela led off the third inning with a single and took second when Isiah Kiner-Falefa beat the throw on a bunt.
—
CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Oh, and after a Collins strikeout finally ended the streak in the sixth, Isbel promptly led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2026
Koeninger led off the bottom of the first inning for Keller (23-1-2 overall, 9-0 district) by lining a ball over the left field wall to start a 4-run uprising.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
Protecting a 1-0 lead, Peralta ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth, as rookie JJ Wetherholt led off with a single and Iván Herrera followed with a walk.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
The right-hander gave up two walks in the first three innings before Elly De La Cruz led off the fourth with a base hit to right.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Aaron, a lanky public defender and former college football kicker, led off.
—Daniel Brook, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Teoscar Hernandez led off the third inning with a solo home run to tie the score at 1-1.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026
Eddie Madrigal, a pinch-hitter, led off with a shot to right field over Jayden Duplantier for an opening double and then catcher Taylor Belza walked.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 22 Mar. 2026
CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Oh, and after a Collins strikeout finally ended the streak in the sixth, Isbel promptly led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2026
Koeninger led off the bottom of the first inning for Keller (23-1-2 overall, 9-0 district) by lining a ball over the left field wall to start a 4-run uprising.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
Protecting a 1-0 lead, Peralta ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth, as rookie JJ Wetherholt led off with a single and Iván Herrera followed with a walk.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
The right-hander gave up two walks in the first three innings before Elly De La Cruz led off the fourth with a base hit to right.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Aaron, a lanky public defender and former college football kicker, led off.
—Daniel Brook, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Teoscar Hernandez led off the third inning with a solo home run to tie the score at 1-1.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026
Eddie Madrigal, a pinch-hitter, led off with a shot to right field over Jayden Duplantier for an opening double and then catcher Taylor Belza walked.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 22 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for led off
Verb
-
The board began to shake and flash purple; my whole body jiggled.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The Yankees led, 4-3, going into the eighth, but the inning began to unravel when reliever Fernando Cruz issued a one-walk to Jakob Marsee.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The mother aboard a Caribbean Airlines flight had a successful delivery, as Fox News Digital previously reported — but shortly after the unexpected arrival, a hot debate about the baby's citizenship commenced.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Panther is a third-generation full-size wheeled dual-arm humanoid robot, and UniX AI has commenced global deliveries.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One person is dead after trying to put out a fire started by an electric-bicycle battery in a San Jose apartment, fire officials said.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2026
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What started as a personal endeavor evolved into something much larger.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Spurs got off to a sluggish start, missing their first three shots and committing a turnover in the opening two minutes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
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Nolan Traoré played only five minutes in the first half, while Josh Minott and Ochai Agbaji never got off the bench.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 2002, the city opened its first havnebad, a public harbor bath, and Leonardsen, along with thousands of her neighbors, took the plunge.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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The three combined hits are the lowest total for a game at Progressive Field, which opened in 1994.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Led off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/led%20off. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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