start out
Britishverb
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to set out on a journey
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to take the first steps, as in life, one's career, etc
he started out as a salesman
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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.
Shotwell, who grew up in a suburb north of Chicago, didn’t start out with ambitions that were tied to space.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
“Solving it with lower leverage rather than price makes sense to us because if you start out conservative, it gives you more cushion if you’re wrong.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Researchers believe this dramatic transformation helps it resemble the young leaves of rainforest plants, which often start out pink before turning green.
From Science Daily • May 2, 2026
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 • Mar. 23, 2026
An octopus might start out defenseless, but it sure doesn’t stay that way.
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
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.
