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 Thunder started off that second stretch of action with a 4-0 record, ultimately earning the second seed in the playoffs. —Nick Crain, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025

Tung started off with an all-white base, grabbing a runway-ready look straight from Ann Demeulemeester’s spring 2025 collection. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 17 July 2025

Iain Armitage started off as a theater critic before landing TV roles Iain Armitage, who played the titular boy genius on The Big Bang Theory spinoff prequel series, turns 17 on July 15. —Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 15 July 2025

Caminero started off sending balls into the left field grandstands, peppering the crowd with laser home runs. —Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 14 July 2025

Rhymes for start off

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