start out

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

The Toy Story and How to Train Your Dragon producer, who started out in live action with the likes of Dances with Wolves and The Addams Family, had some simple words for those who see animation as beneath them. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 22 June 2026

Experts offer a few practical tips for anyone starting out. —Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 22 June 2026

Those starting out with smaller investment limits might consider coins or small bullions, while those with higher balances to transfer might consider using a gold IRA. —Liz Knueven, CNBC, 22 June 2026

Bob Hurley, today an icon in the surf apparel industry, remembers starting out as a surfboard shaper four decades ago in Huntington Beach, Pai giving him his first big break. —Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 21 June 2026

Rhymes for start out

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