at first

Related to at first: at first glance

at first

Initially. At first, we planned to go to Florida, but now we're going to visit family in Montana instead. I didn't like Tom at first, but the more time I spent with him, the more I enjoyed his company.
See also: first
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

at first

initially; at the very beginning. He was shy at first. Then he became more friendly. At first we chose the red one. Later we switched to the blue one.
See also: first
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

at first

Initially, at the start, as in At first the berries were green, but when they ripened they turned bright red. [Second half of 1500s]
See also: first
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • be first out of the box
  • for a start
  • first in, best dressed
  • be the first (person) to (do something)
  • first refusal
  • refusal
  • first blood
  • give (someone) the first crack at (something)
  • have (the) first crack at (something)
  • foremost
References in periodicals archive
(1.) Kaestle CE et al., Young age at first sexual intercourse and sexually transmitted infections in adolescents and young adults, American Journal of Epidemiology, 2005, 161(8):774-780.
Early first sex may not lead to increased STD risk during young adulthood
The pitcher comes set, looking at first base, just as in Photo 1.
Once this becomes habit, we allow the pitcher to look at first base just before throwing.
If at first the left-hander wants to succeed
Hayden's first stint as managing director was at First Boston Corp., which he joined in 1974 after leaving the New York State Urban Development Corp.
At first glance, George Haywood seems as straight as they come.
One need only to follow his track record from his days as an associate at First Boston when M&A was just taking eft, through his tenure at Wasserstein Perella.
25 hottest blacks on Wall Street
Tired of Jenkins's all-talk reorganization, the board at first tried to bribe him, offering him $200,000 to quit.
Class inaction; how 3,000 overpaid administrators stymie D.C. school reform
Generalized estimating equation regression modeling was utilized to investigate which behaviors and characteristics mediate the association between age at first sex and HPV infection.
In univariate analyses, several factors were significantly associated with young age at first sex: having had more than one sexual partner in the past six months, using condoms sometimes, having a history of pregnancy, being a current smoker, and scoring one or more on the scale assessing alcohol and drug use related to sexual behavior.
Some of the risk variables and partner characteristics that were significantly associated with young age at first sex were also significantly associated with HPV infection (having had more than one sexual partner in the past six months, being a current smoker, scoring one or more on the scale assessing alcohol and drug use related to sexual behavior, and having a partners who had multiple partners).
Age at first sex and human papillomavirus infection linked through behavioral factors and partner's traits. (Digests)