start out
phrasal verb
started out; starting out; starts out
1
: to begin in a specified way
He started out by introducing himself.
She started out at a slow jog.
The day started out hot and humid.
The story started out good, but I didn't like the ending.
She started out wanting to be a doctor but became a midwife instead.
—often + withI started out with $100 but I have only $10 left.
Let's start out with some warm-up exercises.
2
: to have a specified quality, identity, job, etc., at the start
What started out as a simple idea has become an expensive and complicated project.
He started out in teaching before becoming a lawyer.
3
: to begin an important period in one's life or career
The couple is just starting out.
She started out on a career in teaching.
4
: to begin a trip
They started out in the early morning.
5
: to have a particular place as a beginning point
The parade starts out at the intersection of First and Main.
Examples of start out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Tar Heels defeated Syracuse and Stanford in back-to-back weeks after starting out 0-3 in ACC play.
—
Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Founded in Encinitas in 1980, Dudek started out as a small engineering consulting practice.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
The star explained that having started out as an actor as a young child, her appetite for the profession had been wearing thin when she was cast for the film.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Nov. 2025
The Broadway-esque performance started out in an audition room with Lisa Ann Walter posing as a casting agent.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for start out
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Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Founded in Encinitas in 1980, Dudek started out as a small engineering consulting practice.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
The star explained that having started out as an actor as a young child, her appetite for the profession had been wearing thin when she was cast for the film.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Nov. 2025
The Broadway-esque performance started out in an audition room with Lisa Ann Walter posing as a casting agent.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for start out
Cite this Entry
“Start out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/start%20out. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
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