first off
Before anything else
First off introduces the first point in a sequence or signals what someone wants to say before anything else: First off, let me thank everyone for coming.
It's slightly more emphatic than "first" alone, often used when the speaker has strong feelings about what follows: First off, that's not what I said.
At the outset
- to beginTo start something
- for startersIntroducing an initial point
- to start withAt the outset
- right awayWithout pause or delay
from the start · upfront · preliminarily · straight away · before we begin · starting out · at the top · going in
In second position
- nextImmediately following in sequence
- thenAt that time
- followingComing after another
- subsequentlyOccurring after something else
furthermore · moreover · additionally · lastly · finally · in conclusion · moving on · number one
With great consequence
- notablyEspecially or remarkably
- cruciallyIn a decisive manner
- significantlyTo meaningful extent
- chieflyAbove all else
primarily · mainly · especially · above all · most of all · fundamentally · essentially · principally
initially
At the outset
- to beginTo start something
- for startersIntroducing an initial point
- to start withAt the outset
right away · from the start · upfront · preliminarily · straight away · before we begin · starting out · at the top · going in
secondly
In second position
subsequently · furthermore · moreover · additionally · lastly · finally · in conclusion · moving on · number one · step one
importantly
With great consequence
- notablyEspecially or remarkably
- cruciallyIn a decisive manner
- significantlyTo meaningful extent
chiefly · primarily · mainly · especially · above all · most of all · fundamentally · essentially · principally · key point
- beginning phrasesonce upon a time, in the beginning, to start with, to begin with, for starters
- ranking wordsrated, ranked, scored, secondly, thirdly
- transitionstransition, blending, segue, fade, changeover
first offlastly
At the end
finally · in conclusion · to conclude · last but not least · in closing
first offeventually
At a later time
later · later on · in due time · down the road · in time
off, first, foremost, first-rate, firstly, firsthand, first-class, firstborn, firsts