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
His colleagues were men in their fifties and sixties who’d started out in radio.
—
Susan Morrison, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
What started out as a pair of glasses, a full-size keyboard, and a touchpad is available as just AR glasses and a software subscription.
—Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 9 Jan. 2025
Israel grabbed what was most important to him — a crate of hard drives, notebooks and journals going back years — and started out in his own car.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Each round starts out with physical challenges, called Excursions, where teams compete to secure briefcases containing varying cash values that add to the prize pot.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for start out 
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Susan Morrison, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
What started out as a pair of glasses, a full-size keyboard, and a touchpad is available as just AR glasses and a software subscription.
—Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 9 Jan. 2025
Israel grabbed what was most important to him — a crate of hard drives, notebooks and journals going back years — and started out in his own car.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Each round starts out with physical challenges, called Excursions, where teams compete to secure briefcases containing varying cash values that add to the prize pot.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for start out
Dictionary Entries Near start out
Cite this Entry
“Start out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/start%20out. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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