1 A2 neutral
To begin a journey, event, process, or activity
"We started off early in the morning to avoid the traffic."
start off
A2 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To begin something, or to begin in a particular way; also to cause something or someone to begin
In plain English
To start doing something or to make something begin
What does "start off" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 neutral
To begin in a particular way or condition
"The negotiations started off well but quickly broke down."
“
"We started off in a small garage in Menlo Park."
— Mark Zuckerberg, various interviews on Facebook's origins
3 B1 neutral
To cause someone or something to begin doing something
"The teacher started the students off with a simple warm-up exercise."
separable
4 B1 idiomatic informal
To cause someone to begin crying or laughing (informal)
"Don't mention the wedding — it'll start her off crying again."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To start and go off — to depart or set something in motion
Actually means
To start doing something or to make something begin
Usage tip
Very common in both British and American English. Can be used for journeys, events, speeches, careers, or processes. The causative use (to start someone off) is also frequent. Often interchangeable with 'start out'.
Words that pair with "start off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
meeting speech journey career day presentation well
How to conjugate "start off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
start off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
starts off
he/she/it
Past simple
started off
yesterday
Past participle
started off
have + pp
-ing form
starting off
continuous
Hear "start off" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "start off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "start off"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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