start off
Britishverb
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(intr) to set out on a journey
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to be or make the first step in an activity; initiate
he started the show off with a lively song
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(tr) to cause (a person) to act or do something, such as to laugh, to tell stories, etc
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Set out on a trip, as in We plan to start off in the morning . [Early 1800s] Also see start out .
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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.
The new year tends to start off on a positive note.
From Barron's
"Training sets for brain implants often start off with instructions like 'try to think of a movement'. If these bodily processes can be activated in much broader ways, then there might be much broader possibilities to train and develop those brain computer interfaces."
From Science Daily
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
Slot used his humour to start off by joking with a reporter that he asked five questions in one, but minute by minute, details began to emerge and it was clear to see who was in charge.
From BBC
“Often they start off smaller scale than they should be, and so then they struggle. They’re more likely to exit because of that.”
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.
