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 + with

I 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

An economist who started out in banking, Tuluka later branched out into international development at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). —Maggie McGrath, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Carney’s message wasn’t framed as an embrace of China – the Canadian leader started out by alluding to a critique of the Soviet Union’s authoritarianism. —Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026

The pair started out as police cadets before they were sworn into OPD. —Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026

Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. —Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 21 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for start out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout