start off

phrasal verb

started off; starting off; starts off

1

: to start or cause (something) to start in a specified way

He started off by introducing himself.

She started off (her run) at a slow jog.

The performance started off badly.

—often + with

I started off my speech with a joke.

We started off the meal with shrimp cocktails.

The team started the season off with a 10-game winning streak.

2

: to have a specified quality, identity, job, etc., at the start

She started off as a sales assistant but is now the marketing director.

3

: to begin an important period in one's life or career

The house is perfect for a couple just starting off.

4

: to begin to move toward a particular place or in a particular direction

She ate breakfast before starting off for work.

5

: to cause (someone) to begin doing a particular activity or action

He started his daughter off on the piano.

The game-show host started her off with some easy questions.

Examples of start off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

First, starting off with the shooting guard spot, Collin Sexton seems like the most logical candidate to slide into that role at the season’s outset. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 2025

The Kansas City Chiefs have started off the 2025 NFL season looking a bit shaky. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025

Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie have done it in recent years, and Jennifer Lopez has already started off the fall season in hers. —Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025

The video started off in the way Kiser, who was seen wearing a necklace with Trigg’s name on it, often started her videos prior to the tragedy, showing herself making a glass of iced coffee. —Sara Vallone, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for start off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff