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

Next week will start off chilly with 20s in the morning and highs below average- but warmth is on the way. —Andrew Kozak, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026

Morning temperatures will start off cool, with lows near 50 degrees, before warming into the upper 60s to low 70s by the afternoon. —Newsroom Meteorologist, Austin American Statesman, 3 Jan. 2026

The first weekend of 2026 is starting off with a bang — of thunder, that is. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 3 Jan. 2026

The year started off slowly for Hollywood, with the first real breakout, Warner Bros’ A Minecraft Movie, catapulting us into the spring. —Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for start off

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