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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.

See Examples For:

Just because you start out being a size 6, doesn't mean you'll remain a size 6.

From BBC Aug. 4, 2026

The MLB schedule got off to a smoky start out of the All-Star break.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 17, 2026

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

The Godel solution and the cosmic string space-time start out so distorted that travel into the past was always possible.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

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