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

Looking at live-action Disney remake comps, Little Mermaid did $65M in like-for-like markets at today’s rates, Cinderella was $71M and Mufasa: The Lion King started off with $92M. The latter came out during the end-of-year holidays in 2024 and saw extended playability. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 21 May 2025

The 2025 season did not start off too kindly for Scheffler. —Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 19 May 2025

This is the first game of the new WNBA year, and neither team wants to start off with a loss on their record. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025

Best international showdown: Chiefs-Chargers in Brazil, Week 1 The NFL schedulers started off the 2025 international series with a bang, treating the Corinthians Arena fans to a matchup between a pair of AFC West rivals and 2024 playoff teams. —Mike Jones, New York Times, 16 May 2025

Rhymes for start off

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