I started off as a waiter and ended up as the owner of the restaurant.
•This tree started off as a tiny seedling only a few years ago.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
start off (or start someone/thing off) — begin (or cause someone or something to begin) working, operating, etc. → start … English new terms dictionary
start off — ► start off begin (or cause someone or something to begin) working, operating, etc. Main Entry: ↑start … English terms dictionary
start off — 1) PHRASAL VERB If you start off by doing something, you do it as the first part of an activity. [V P by ing] She started off by accusing him of blackmail but he more or less ignored her... [V P ing] Joe Loss started off playing piano background… … English dictionary
start off — phrasal verb Word forms start off : present tense I/you/we/they start off he/she/it starts off present participle starting off past tense started off past participle started off 1) [transitive] to make something begin We don t want to start off a … English dictionary
start off — begin, commence, start; set out, begin a journey; cause someone to begin doing something … English contemporary dictionary
start — 1 verb 1 BEGIN DOING STH (I, T) to begin doing something: start doing sth: I ve just started learning German. | We d better start getting dressed soon. | start to do sth: When Tom heard this he started to laugh uncontrollably. | Things started to … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
start — start1 W2S2 [sta:t US sta:rt] v ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(begin doing something)¦ 2¦(begin happening)¦ 3¦(begin in a particular way)¦ 4¦(business/organization)¦ 5¦(job/school)¦ 6¦(car/engine etc)¦ 7¦(begin going somewhere)¦ 8¦(life/profession)¦… … Dictionary of contemporary English
start — start1 [ start ] verb *** ▸ 1 begin to happen ▸ 2 begin to do something ▸ 3 begin a trip ▸ 4 be the limit of something ▸ 5 make something happen ▸ 6 make machine work ▸ 7 complain ▸ 8 jump with fright ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) intransitive to begin to… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
start */*/*/ — I UK [stɑː(r)t] / US [stɑrt] verb Word forms start : present tense I/you/we/they start he/she/it starts present participle starting past tense started past participle started 1) a) [intransitive] to begin to happen or take place Work has started… … English dictionary
start — ▪ I. start start 1 [stɑːt ǁ stɑːrt] verb 1. [intransitive] if prices start at or from a particular figure, that is the lowest figure at which you can buy something, for example for the most basic product, service etc in a range: start at/from •… … Financial and business terms
start — [[t]stɑ͟ː(r)t[/t]] ♦ starts, starting, started 1) VERB If you start to do something, you do something that you were not doing before and you continue doing it. [V to inf] John then unlocked the front door and I started to follow him up the stairs … English dictionary
