From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstart off phrasal verb1 START something/MAKE something STARTto begin something in a particular way, or to begin in a particular waystart something ↔ off with something/by doing something The theater company started off their new season with a Shakespeare play.start off with something/by doing something I started off by drawing the flowers I had collected.2 to be a particular thing or have a particular quality at the beginning of something, especially when this changes later The puppies start off white, and get their black spots later. as The games start off as a social event, but players soon become competitive. I started off as a drummer.3 start something ↔ off to make something begin happening We’re not sure what starts the process off.4 HELP start somebody ↔ off to help someone begin an activitystart somebody ↔ off with He started me off with some stretching exercises.5 START TO HAPPEN, EXIST ETCto begin going somewhere I sat in the car for a few minutes before starting off. to/towards/back etc She started off to school in her new uniform.6 start somebody off British English informalANGRY to make someone get angry or start laughing, by saying something Don’t say that; that’ll just start him off.start somebody off doing something He made her jump, and that started her off giggling. → start→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
start off• The riders got back on their horses and started off along the track again.• Before starting off you should check that your seat and mirrors are properly adjusted.start off with something/by doing something• At present we ourselves consider that any treatment programme, whether homoeopathic or otherwise, should start off with attention to diet.• He was glad when I got pregnant to start off with, but he's changed.• It's probably a good idea to start off with an invisible counter.• It started off with a tan scrim in front.• The foreign-language teacher usually starts off with a class with a set to learn.• To grow good berries it is necessary to start off with good trees of the right variety.• You start off with something simple.start as• The book almost starts off as a dual biography, of Einstein and Maric, whom he met when they were students.• In the Godfather, Michael Corleone starts off as a good guy.• It started off as a laugh, but has become a job to me.• He did not start off as a rebel seeking out Peripatetics to confound.• The first is a surface sore which starts off as a red mark.• Although it started off as a school project, the spider catcher has attracted a lot of outside interest.• It might start off as a social gathering, but it gets heated after the first pitch.start with• It's important to start the campaign off with an introduction to the Council Tax followed by more specialised themes such as discounts.• No wonder people sometimes start right off with an official complaint or even a writ.• Unlike Paradox, which starts you off with its table view, DataEase is forms-based - the table view is an option.start to/towards/back etc• Odysseus started off to explore it with twelve of his men.• Corrigan started off to get him.From Longman Business Dictionarystart off phrasal verb [transitive]1 start something ↔ off to begin or begin something in a particular way, especially when this changes laterThe stock market started off Thursday’s half-day session with a rush of buying.Many new software firms start off consulting for other companies to help pay the bills.2 start somebody → off to help someone begin an activityHis father started him off in the business. → start→ See Verb table 