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

Things started off in a typically slow way The day started out routinely enough, with networks looking to fill time till polls started closing. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 6 Nov. 2024

Tampa Bay started out strong but multiple injuries have derailed their year. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

At Disrupt, Levinson said Zoox would start out with employees as passengers in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco as well as the Las Vegas Strip. —Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 2 Nov. 2024

The first inning started out strong: The Yankees walked Ohtani. —Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024