start out

phrasal 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

Related: Tom Brady’s Girlfriend Is Another Supermodel After Divorcing Gisele Born to former Miami Dolphins football player John Bosa, Nick Bosa started out in the sport from a young age alongside his brother Joey Bosa, who plays for the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers. —Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 13 Sep. 2024

The city started out as a stagecoach stop in the 1880s and was originally named Coldwater. —Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 12 Sep. 2024

As the ruling puts it: Respondents’ primary argument is that the funds start out as public funds but lose their public character once the Treasurer places the funds in the ESTF. —Peter Greene, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

Bertinelli and Barrymore started out the Drew’s News segment pondering if they’d ever get married again. —Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2024