How to Use first-line in a Sentence

first-line

adjective
  • Then the Wings lost Vrana and first-line winger Tyler Bertuzzi, forcing some new looks.
    — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, 28 Apr. 2023
  • This is the first first-line FDA approval for a drug treating this cancer in over 20 years.
    — Katie Jennings, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023
  • It has been used as a first-line treatment in Canada and parts and Europe for more than 40 years.
    — Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 8 May 2024
  • The over-the-counter analgesic, sold as Tylenol or Panadol among other brand names, is the standard, first-line treatment for pain and fever.
    — New Atlas, 15 Dec. 2024
  • There’s more consistent offence in his game (eight points in 10 games) as their new first-line right winger.
    — Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
  • Reinhart, a first-line forward, has four goals and seven assists in the playoffs this year.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 24 May 2025
  • Metformin is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes in adults and children aged 10 and above.
    — Nick Blackmer, Verywell Health, 15 Apr. 2024
  • Nearly 70% of adults in the U.S. use over-the-counter medications as a first-line response for treating cold and flu symptoms.
    — Macarius Mwinisungee Donneyong, Fortune Well, 21 Apr. 2023
  • Since the 1930s, EEGs have been the first-line method for recording the sleeping brain’s electrical activity.
    — Lucy Tu, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2023
  • Get your ground truth from data, facts, and first-line supervisors.
    — George Bradt, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
  • Corticosteroids are one of the first-line treatments for lupus.
    — Anne Harding, Health, 19 Apr. 2023
  • The 29-year-old is a dynamic top-six forward with first-line talent and a second-line history.
    — Murat Ates, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Colorado has added a first-line wing, two bottom-six forwards, a top-five defenseman and two goaltenders.
    — Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Among the drugs in shortage is carboplatin, a chemotherapy agent used as a first-line treatment for a number of cancers.
    — Marina Kopf, NBC News, 26 May 2023
  • Police also used a liquid known as Bluestar that is meant to be a first-line method of picking up blood stains not visible to the human eye.
    — Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2024
  • While beta-blockers used to be a first-line treatment for hypertension, their role has changed in recent years.
    — Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 18 July 2024
  • Until now, levodopa has been the standard first-line treatment for Parkinson’s patients.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • More comfortable in the middle, but that he’s being asked to be first-line center at times says more about the organization’s needs.
    — Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Hirsch said doctors in the U.S. would likely use the same first-line BV medications—metronidazole and clindamycin gel—to treat male partners.
    — Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Suter is the sort of player teams win with, even if asking him to play first-line centre at the most difficult point in the regular season calendar might be a bridge too far.
    — Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
  • Suter is the sort of player teams win with, even if asking him to play first-line centre at the most difficult point in the regular season calendar might be a bridge too far.
    — Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
  • Clomid and letrozole are the first-line fertility treatments for people with PCOS.
    — Rachel Gurevich, Parents, 30 July 2024
  • Providers first try first-line drugs, which are known to be the most effective (before the development of antimicrobial resistance) and the least toxic.
    — Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 17 Jan. 2024
  • Metformin, a drug used as a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes, has been associated with a 30% lower risk of death, according to a new study.
    — New Atlas, 24 May 2025
  • The medications can be used along previous first-line treatments for migraine.
    — Syeda Khaula Saad, Verywell Health, 3 Apr. 2024
  • Sleep medications—either over-the-counter or prescription—are not recommended as a first-line treatment, and they're not meant to be taken long-term.
    — Amanda MacMillan, Health, 6 Aug. 2023
  • Companies usually need such a system to operate as a first-line customer support bot for end users.
    — Stoyan Mitov, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
  • This could be an intriguing buy-low opportunity for a player with star, first-line upside.
    — Harman Dayal, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • This system was able to categorize ear wax samples with 94 percent accuracy, with the researchers saying this could lead to a first-line screening tool for early-onset Parkinson's.
    — Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
  • No matter how risky Boeser’s next contract is likely to be, the minutes that he’s consistently handled in a first-line role and his overall reliability as a top-line calibre player will be difficult for Vancouver to replace.
    — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 17 June 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'first-line.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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