start off

phrasal verb

started off; starting off; starts off

: 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.

: to have a specified quality, identity, job, etc., at the start

She started off as a sales assistant but is now the marketing director.

: to begin an important period in one's life or career

The house is perfect for a couple just starting off.

: to begin to move toward a particular place or in a particular direction

She ate breakfast before starting off for work.

: 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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Wall Street was under some pressure to start off the new week after the S & P 500 posted another record-high close Friday and jumped for the third straight week. —

Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 9 Dec. 2024 That fight started off bizarre as Burke forgot his boxing trunks and wound up fighting in cartoon-print underwear. —

Brian Mazique, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024 The game could not have started off better for Osceola as Taevion Swint returned the opening kickoff 56 yards and then broke off a 43-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. —

Staff Reports, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Dec. 2024 But selecting heroes for Marvel Rivals actually didn’t start off with a huge meeting or brainstorming session. —

Echo Apsey, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for start off