start off

verb

1. (intr) to set out on a journey

2. to be or make the first step in an activity; initiate

   he started the show off with a lively song

3. (tr) to cause (a person) to act or do something, such as to laugh, to tell stories, etc

Idioms and Phrases

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

“It’s on a Sunday so you start off your week a little bit more motivated, having a little bit more fun, especially because people get caffeinated, it’s like a burst of energy without having any alcohol,” Alvarado said.

From Los Angeles Times

“And he always did this. He’d start off with Robert being completely out of touch and by the end of the season he’d actually come around to understanding. It was a bit of a repeated joke that I kept going to Julian, ‘Why has Robert’s IQ gone down?’

From Los Angeles Times

"You need some basis to start off with and that's what Africa Next Voices is and then people will build on top of that and add their own innovations," says Prof Marivathe, who led the research in South Africa.

From BBC

"They start off just as wire and we wrap them with fabric and then we add the gems on."

From BBC

The whole thing about recovery is it’s a marathon, and looking back on my attempts, there have been so many where I just start off out of the gate just flying, like, ‘Get out of his way!’

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• affect 
• animate 
• arouse 
• cause 
• embolden 
• excite 
• galvanize 
• get 
• hearten 
• impress 
• influence 
• instill 
• motivate 
• produce 
• provoke 
• spark 
• spur 
• stir 
• sway 
• touch