start out
phrasal verb
started out; starting out; starts out
1
: to begin in a specified way
He started out by introducing himself.
She started out at a slow jog.
The day started out hot and humid.
The story started out good, but I didn't like the ending.
She started out wanting to be a doctor but became a midwife instead.
—often + withI started out with $100 but I have only $10 left.
Let's start out with some warm-up exercises.
2
: to have a specified quality, identity, job, etc., at the start
What started out as a simple idea has become an expensive and complicated project.
He started out in teaching before becoming a lawyer.
3
: to begin an important period in one's life or career
The couple is just starting out.
She started out on a career in teaching.
4
: to begin a trip
They started out in the early morning.
5
: to have a particular place as a beginning point
The parade starts out at the intersection of First and Main.
Examples of start out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Having started out in music videos btf came to everyone’s attention with the anarchic talkshow Roche and Böhmermann.
—
Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 6 June 2025
These are important factors for children and those just starting out with binoculars.
—Matt Morris, Space.com, 6 June 2025
What starts out as titillating wish-fulfillment (Um, hello!
—Susan Walter
june 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025
So even just starting out as a person, humor was a way to communicate, to protect and all those things.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for start out
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Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 6 June 2025
These are important factors for children and those just starting out with binoculars.
—Matt Morris, Space.com, 6 June 2025
What starts out as titillating wish-fulfillment (Um, hello!
—Susan Walter
june 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025
So even just starting out as a person, humor was a way to communicate, to protect and all those things.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for start out
Cite this Entry
“Start out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/start%20out. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
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