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 cumulative effect of regressing academically every summer means kids are starting off every school year in a deficit, as previously mentioned. —Sherri Gordon, Parents, 25 June 2025

The exhibition will be set up chronologically and thematically, starting off with a historical look at the relationship between fashion and psychoanalysis. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 24 June 2025

During the Middle Ages, people walked out of their front doors and started off to Santiago, which was how the network grew. —Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025

None of these companies started off as truly fintech companies. —Lionel Lim, Fortune, 22 June 2025

Rhymes for start off

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