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

Seven high temperature records were set and one was tied that month as a searing heat wave gripped the city, producing a record-tying 11 straight days in the 90s. June 26, 1954, started out steamy and stormy. —Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2024

What’s more, those with more working years behind them are more likely to have the seniority, confidence, and assertiveness to challenge the status quo and share their outlandish innovations than those just starting out in their careers. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 June 2024

Roberts also worries that the current strain of the virus started out in wild birds but has since infected several species, including foxes, house mice, bears and domestic cats. —Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2024

Cena is just one of several employees who started out as clients. —Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2024