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Synonyms

start out

British  

verb

  1. to set out on a journey

  2. to take the first steps, as in life, one's career, etc

    he started out as a salesman

  3. 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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
start out Idioms  

  1. Set out on a trip, as in The climbers started out from base camp shortly after mid-night. [Early 1900s]

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.

The couple started out in Los Angeles—Semple staged huge parties with more than 200 guests—but life quieted when they moved to Seattle with their young daughter.

From The Wall Street Journal

What may have started out as a good idea became too good as deals got dicier.

From Barron's

When I started out in management, I always believed I had the responsibility to be the first into the training ground and last out in the evening.

From BBC

Overall, the results suggest that NGC 1365 started out as a relatively small galaxy and gradually grew into a massive spiral through multiple mergers with smaller neighbors.

From Science Daily

Ambitious city women start out thinking they’re going to grab the world by the tail, pull it down and put it in their pocket.

From Salon

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.