start out

phrasal verb

started out; starting out; starts out

: 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 + with

I started out with $100 but I have only $10 left.

Let's start out with some warm-up exercises.

: 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.

: 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.

: to begin a trip

They started out in the early morning.

: 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 trailer shows the two starting out as simple worker bots, unable to transform into anything. —

Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024 The restaurant, which also uses products from neighboring businesses like Zak the Baker and Panther Coffee, started out making chicken and burgers but has expanded its menu and cocktail offerings, James said. —

Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024 The show started out with a laugh track but scrapped it for Season Two. —

Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2024 For example, a typical growth fund might hold stocks more or less permanently, but a target-date portfolio usually would start out investing entirely in stocks, then over the decades gradually move into bonds. —

The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024 Lan was born in 1956 and started out helping sell cosmetics with her mother, a Chinese businesswoman, in Ho Chi Minh city’s oldest market, according to state media Tien Phong. —

Aniruddha Ghosal, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024 What started out as a night of celebration at a California bar for Blanca Rosas ended in tragedy. —

Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024 Rain will arrive Friday night, starting out steady before transitioning to showers, Lund said. —

Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024 Most Ferrari dealerships will only take new-car orders from repeat customers who start out buying and selling used cars to develop a dealer relationship. —

Bob Sorokanich, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024

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