Start out means to begin, especially to begin a path: a career, a business, life in a new place. People often say what someone started as or with: started out as a teacher. The second meaning is to set off on a journey: We started out before dawn.
Want to use start out in conversation?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
start out as + job/role; start out + -ing; start out + small/shy; start out (early) on a journey
- My aunt started out as a nurse and now runs a small clinic.
- The business started out small, with just two people working from a garage.
- We started out at six to avoid traffic on the motorway.
What changed
First versionHe started out like a courier and now manages the whole delivery team.
RevisionHe started out as a courier and now manages the whole delivery team.
As and like can both seem to fit. As means “in the role of”: he really did work as a courier. Like means “similar to”: started out like a courier would mean he resembled one. For jobs and roles, use as.
Start off is close in meaning but is more often about the first step of a specific activity: Let's start off with a quick quiz. Start out is about the beginning of a long path, a career or a business: She started out in sales and now runs the company.
Your turn
Before she became a famous chef, she ___ washing dishes in a hotel kitchen.
Show the answer
started out — It's about the start of her career, the job she began with: started out. Start up means to launch a company or start an engine, and it isn't used about a first job.
Describe someone whose career changed a lot. Say what job they started with and what they became.
My uncle started out as a taxi driver and later became the owner of a small bus company.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.