start off
Britishverb
-
(intr) to set out on a journey
-
to be or make the first step in an activity; initiate
he started the show off with a lively song
-
(tr) to cause (a person) to act or do something, such as to laugh, to tell stories, etc
-
Set out on a trip, as in We plan to start off in the morning . [Early 1800s] Also see start out .
-
start someone off . Cause someone to set out or to begin something, as in Mother packed their lunches and started them off , or Paul started them off on their multiplication tables . [Early 1700s] For start off on the right foot , see get off on the right foot .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"You're just sort of thrown into the deep end or you start off small and then it gets sort of more and more demanding."
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
“It’s a great way to start off the day,” Rapp said.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026
“I could just start off by saying JPMorgan could be an endgame winner in the AI space,” said Mary Callahan Erdoes, the company’s chief executive of asset management and wealth management.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026
He said the new annual Nations League would start off by being regionalised, with 16 teams each in the east, west and central-southern zones, and six in the northern zone.
From Barron's • Dec. 20, 2025
So the disorder of the pieces will probably increase with time if the pieces obey the initial condition that they start off in a condition of high order.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
