start
Other forms: started; starting; starts
The beginning of something is the start. The start of the movie may have been a little slow, but by the end you were on the edge of your seat.
As a verb, start means to begin an activity or event. Some people turn to the last page of a book before they even start it, so they'll be prepared for the ending. Start can also mean to move suddenly in surprise or alarm, or to startle. This is actually the original meaning of the word start, which comes from the Old English word styrtan, meaning to caper or to leap up.
Definitions of start
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take the first step or steps in carrying out an action“Who will start?”
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begin
begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language
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recommence
begin again
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strike out
set out on a course of action
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fall
begin vigorously
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jump off
set off quickly, usually with success
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get to
arrive at the point of
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auspicate
commence in a manner calculated to bring good luck
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attack
set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task
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break in
start in a certain activity, enterprise, or role
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launch, plunge
begin with vigor
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come on
occur or become available
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embark, enter
set out on (an enterprise or subject of study)
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bestir oneself, get cracking, get going, get moving, get rolling, get started, get weaving
start to be active
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take up
pursue or resume
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begin
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begin work or acting in a certain capacity, office or job
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set in motion, cause to start“The U.S. started a war in the Middle East”
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begin
have a beginning, of a temporal event
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jump-start, jumpstart
start or re-start vigorously
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recommence
cause to start anew
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inaugurate, introduce, usher in
be a precursor of
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set off
set in motion or cause to begin
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commence, embark on, start up
get off the ground
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inaugurate, kick off
commence officially
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open
begin or set in action, of meetings, speeches, recitals, etc.
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begin
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get off the ground“Who started this company?”“I start my day with a good breakfast”
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inaugurate, kick off
commence officially
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open
begin or set in action, of meetings, speeches, recitals, etc.
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swear in
administer on oath to
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dedicate
open to public use, as of a highway, park, or building
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inaugurate
open ceremoniously or dedicate formally
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call to order
open formally
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begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object
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get going or set in motion“We simply could not start the engine”“start up the computer”
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synonyms:
start up
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Antonyms:
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stop
cause to stop
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kick-start
start (a motorcycle) by means of a kick starter
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hot-wire
start (a car engine) without a key by bypassing the ignition interlock
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re-start, restart
start an engine again, for example
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crank, crank up
start by cranking
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jump, jump-start, jumpstart
start (a car engine whose battery is dead) by connecting it to another car's battery
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stop
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begin or set in motion
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bring into being“Start a foundation”
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have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense“Prices for these homes start at $250,000”
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synonyms:
begin
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begin
have a beginning characterized in some specified way
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begin
have a beginning, of a temporal event
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Antonyms:
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cease, end, finish, stop, terminate
have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical
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break out, erupt
start abruptly
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bud
start to grow or develop
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break out
begin suddenly and sometimes violently
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kick in, set in
enter a particular state
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dawn
appear or develop
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originate
begin a trip at a certain point, as of a plane, train, bus, etc.
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begin
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have a beginning characterized in some specified way
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synonyms:
begin
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begin
begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object
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begin
have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense
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begin
be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series
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type of:
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be
have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
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begin
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play in the starting lineup
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type of:
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play
participate in games or sport
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play
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the act of starting something
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synonyms:
beginning, commencement
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examples:
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Creation
(theology) God's act of bringing the universe into existence
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jumping-off point, point of departure, springboard
a beginning from which an enterprise is launched
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activation
making active and effective (as a bomb)
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attack, tone-beginning
a decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase
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constitution, establishment, formation, organisation, organization
the act of forming or establishing something
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debut, entry, first appearance, introduction, launching, unveiling
the act of beginning something new
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face-off
(ice hockey) the method of starting play; a referee drops the puck between two opposing players
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first step, initiative, opening, opening move
the first of a series of actions
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groundbreaking, groundbreaking ceremony
the ceremonial breaking of the ground to formally begin a construction project
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housing start
the act of starting to construct a house
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icebreaker
a beginning that relaxes a tense or formal atmosphere
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inauguration, startup
the act of starting a new operation or practice
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creation, foundation, founding, initiation, innovation, instauration, institution, introduction, origination
the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new
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installation, installing, installment, instalment
the act of installing something (as equipment)
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jump ball
(basketball) the way play begins or resumes when possession is disputed; an official tosses the ball up between two players who jump in an effort to tap it to a teammate
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kickoff
(football) a kick from the center of the field to start a football game or to resume it after a score
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recommencement, resumption
beginning again
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scrum, scrummage
(rugby) the method of beginning play in which the forwards of each team crouch side by side with locked arms; play starts when the ball is thrown in between them and the two sides compete for possession
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startup
the act of setting in operation
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induction
the act of bringing about something (especially at an early time)
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product introduction
the introduction (usually by an advertising campaign) of a new product or product line
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authorship, paternity
the act of initiating a new idea or theory or writing
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unionisation, unionization
act of forming labor unions
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ushering in
the introduction of something new
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curtain raiser
any preliminary activity
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first base
the initial stage in accomplishing something
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peace initiative
opening move in negotiating a peace treaty
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tap-off, tip-off
the act of starting a basketball game with a jump ball
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naturalisation, naturalization
the introduction of animals or plants to places where they flourish but are not indigenous
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collectivisation, collectivization
the organization of a nation or economy on the basis of collectivism
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communisation, communization
the organization of a nation of the basis of communism
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federation
the act of constituting a political unity out of a number of separate states or colonies or provinces so that each member retains the management of its internal affairs
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colonisation, colonization, settlement
the act of colonizing; the establishment of colonies
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incorporation
the act or process of establishing a city or organization as a legal entity
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type of:
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change of state
the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics
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Creation
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the beginning of anything“it was off to a good start”
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types:
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adrenarche
the increase in activity of the adrenal glands just before puberty
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menarche
the first occurrence of menstruation in a woman
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thelarche
the start of breast development in a woman at the beginning of puberty
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oncoming, onset
the beginning or early stages
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dawn, morning
the earliest period
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flying start, running start
a quick and auspicious beginning
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opener
the first event in a series
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alpha
the beginning of a series or sequence
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curtain raising, opening, opening night
the first performance (as of a theatrical production)
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kickoff, send-off, start-off
a start given to contestants
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racing start
the start of a race
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flying start, running start
a racing start in which the contestants are already in full motion when they pass the starting line
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type of:
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beginning
the event consisting of the start of something
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the time at which something is supposed to begin“they got an early start”
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synonyms:
beginning, commencement, first, get-go, kickoff, offset, outset, showtime, starting time
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Antonyms:
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middle
time between the beginning and the end of a temporal period
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end, ending
the point in time at which something ends
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birth
the time when something begins (especially life)
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incipience, incipiency
beginning to exist or to be apparent
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starting point, terminus a quo
earliest limiting point
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threshold
the starting point for a new state or experience
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cradle
birth of a person
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type of:
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point, point in time
an instant of time
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middle
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a signal to begin (as in a race)“the runners awaited the start”
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synonyms:
starting signal
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a line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game
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synonyms:
scratch, scratch line, starting line
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type of:
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line
in games or sports; a mark indicating positions or bounds of the playing area
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line
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a turn to be a starter (in a game at the beginning)
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leave
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lift off, take off
depart from the ground
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roar off
leave
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blaze, blaze out
move rapidly and as if blazing
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sally forth, sally out
set out in a sudden, energetic or violent manner
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the advantage gained by beginning early (as in a race)“with an hour's start he will be hard to catch”
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synonyms:
head start
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move or jump suddenly, as if in surprise or alarm
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shy
start suddenly, as from fright
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boggle
startle with amazement or fear
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rear back
start with anger or resentment or in protest
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jackrabbit
go forward or start with a fast, sudden movement
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type of:
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move
move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
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a sudden involuntary movement“he awoke with a start”
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types:
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startle reaction, startle response
a complicated involuntary reaction to a sudden unexpected stimulus (especially a loud noise); involves flexion of most skeletal muscles and a variety of visceral reactions
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Moro reflex, startle reflex
a normal reflex of young infants; a sudden loud noise causes the child to stretch out the arms and flex the legs
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flinch, wince
a reflex response to sudden pain
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type of:
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inborn reflex, innate reflex, instinctive reflex, physiological reaction, reflex, reflex action, reflex response, unconditioned reflex
an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus
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startle reaction, startle response
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bulge outward
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type of:
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change form, change shape, deform
assume a different shape or form
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change form, change shape, deform
Pronunciation
US
/stɑrt/
UK
/stɑt/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘start'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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