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 + withI 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
To start off the 2025 NFL season, there have been a lot of quarterbacks playing at an elite level.
—
Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Last year, Wicked was tracking to start off with $85 million domestically, but obviously came in notably higher.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
Janelle Monáe as many things Monáe started off the season as a Carnival Barker.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Eli Roth's follow-up to his breakthrough feature Cabin Fever (2002) starts off as a satire of some of the ugliest Americans ever to travel abroad, following the exploits of a group of hedonistic frat-boy types partying their way across Europe.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for start off
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Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Last year, Wicked was tracking to start off with $85 million domestically, but obviously came in notably higher.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
Janelle Monáe as many things Monáe started off the season as a Carnival Barker.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Eli Roth's follow-up to his breakthrough feature Cabin Fever (2002) starts off as a satire of some of the ugliest Americans ever to travel abroad, following the exploits of a group of hedonistic frat-boy types partying their way across Europe.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for start off
Cite this Entry
“Start off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/start%20off. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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