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

The Eagles started off slow as the Bears took an early 7-0 lead thanks to running back D'Andre Swift. —Jenn McGraw, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025

Our Solar System started off with four potentially habitable worlds — Venus, Earth, Theia, and Mars — and now Theia is gone, having collided with Earth. —Big Think, 27 Nov. 2025

The night did not start off well for the B’s. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 27 Nov. 2025

Schnapp has had one of the biggest character arcs in Stranger Things, initially starting off as a supporting character trapped in the Upside Down before becoming a lead in season 2 and onward. —Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025

Rhymes for start off

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