How to Use start off in a Sentence

start off

verb
  • The brown spots that start off yellow are caused by a fungus.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2026
  • The game started off with a blunder.
    — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026
  • This year overall, has started off very warm.
    — Ron Smiley, CBS News, 1 May 2026
  • Wednesday should start off mainly cloudy, dry, and breezy.
    — Steven Sosna, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Lugo’s career didn’t start off as planned.
    — Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026
  • Kanakis took over in sixth the and struck out the side to start off his appearance.
    — Zachary McMahon, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026
  • This one started off as a sports one, but not for sexist reasons.
    — Kate Lavelle, Glamour, 18 May 2026
  • That's after most started off near 60.
    — Ron Smiley, CBS News, 8 June 2026
  • Things that start off shiny usually tarnish.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 24 Apr. 2026
  • The premise started off with somebody watching news in a diner or a small restaurant.
    — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
  • Things start off with a manageable 92 degrees.
    — Andrew Kozak, CBS News, 28 June 2026
  • The clip started off with Thompson's face covered in what appeared to be tape.
    — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
  • Vinicius started off through the middle, flitted over to the left, went roaming.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 1 June 2026
  • Others start off green and mature to red without going through the yellow and orange stages.
    — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2026
  • The month is definitely starting off that way, with a couple of storms in the forecast.
    — Lisa Meadows, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
  • From the basic to the more involved, taking steps to start off well does set a foundation for a great season.
    — Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 7 May 2026
  • The match started off hot with Slater and Alexander trading blows to begin the match.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
  • This is why things that start off challenging get easier with practice—our brains have rewired themselves.
    — Dr. Deepika Chopra, Flow Space, 16 June 2026
  • Something that started off respectfully and and never veered from that path.
    — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • Similar to his last game, Peterson started off very slow.
    — Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2026
  • And two of the major chase scenes were designed so that what starts off as righteous somehow tilts toward being unjust.
    — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
  • O’Connell serves a glorious eight-course tasting menu that starts off with carnival snacks.
    — Jamila Robinson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Apr. 2026
  • That's a lot of growth for a company that started off as a DVD rental website.
    — James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
  • In the face of accomplishing history, the Knicks started off ice cold.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
  • Cryst, a 6-foot-10 freshman middle blocker, started off the fourth set with back-to-back service aces.
    — Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 10 May 2026
  • And then the second time around, Miggy started off the inning there with the homer and being aggressive and taking a pitch.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2026
  • Things seem to start off well with Trinity and Bryce, who are already kissing again before bedtime.
    — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 3 June 2026
  • The title of Robyn’s first album in eight years, Sexistential, started off as a joke.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The Indians started off strong with a 3-0 lead until the Bishops scored their first goal of the game.
    — Zach McMahon, Boston Herald, 27 May 2026
  • Taylor started off excellent in the bottom of the inning, retiring the side in order.
    — Jack Murray, Boston Herald, 9 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'start off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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