start out
Britishverb
-
to set out on a journey
-
to take the first steps, as in life, one's career, etc
he started out as a salesman
-
to take the first actions in an activity in a particular way or specified aim
they started out wanting a house, but eventually bought a flat
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.
Other communication signals may start out serving entirely different purposes, such as helping animals care for offspring or resolve conflicts.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026
The ring itself might start out many miles in diameter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
You may need to decrease your contributions at some point, but if you start out by saving less, it will be harder to catch up.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026
“And they need to start out by listening, by asking rural people, ‘What are your needs here?
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
“Go north to the firebreak and start walking back south from there. I’m going to start out by the lake and come east. We’ll meet back here and see what we’ve got.”
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
