start

Plural: starts

Noun

• the beginning of anything
  • "it was off to a good start"
• the time at which something is supposed to begin
  • "they got an early start"
• a turn to be a starter (in a game at the beginning)
  • "he got his start because one of the regular pitchers was in the hospital"
  • "his starting meant that the coach thought he was one of their best linemen"
• a sudden involuntary movement
  • "he awoke with a start"
• the act of starting something
• a line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game
• a signal to begin (as in a race)
  • "the starting signal was a green light"
  • "the runners awaited the start"
• the advantage gained by beginning early (as in a race)
  • "with an hour's start he will be hard to catch"
• The beginning of an activity.
• A sudden involuntary movement.
• The beginning point of a race, a board game, etc.
• An appearance in a sports game, horserace, etc., from the beginning of the event.
• A young plant germinated in a pot to be transplanted later.
• An initial advantage over somebody else; a head start.
• A happening or proceeding.
• An instance of starting.
• A projection or protrusion; that which pokes out.
• The curved or inclined front and bottom of a water wheel bucket.
• The arm, or level, of a gin, drawn around by a horse.

Verb

Verb Forms: started, starting, starts

• To begin an action, journey, or process.
• take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
  • "Who will start?"
• set in motion, cause to start
  • "The U.S. started a war in the Middle East"
• leave
• have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense
  • "Prices for these homes start at $250,000"
• bring into being
  • "Start a foundation"
• get off the ground
  • "Who started this company?"
  • "I start my day with a good breakfast"
  • "The blood shed started when the partisans launched a surprise attack"
• move or jump suddenly, as if in surprise or alarm
  • "She startled when I walked into the room"
• get going or set in motion
  • "We simply could not start the engine"
  • "start up the computer"
• begin or set in motion
  • "I start at eight in the morning"
• begin work or acting in a certain capacity, office or job
  • "start a new job"
• play in the starting lineup
• have a beginning characterized in some specified way
• begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object
  • "She started the soup while it was still hot"
  • "We started physics in 10th grade"
• bulge outward
• To begin, commence, initiate.
• To set in motion.
• To begin, commence, initiate.
• To begin.
• To begin, commence, initiate.
• To ready the operation of a vehicle or machine.
• To begin, commence, initiate.
• To put or raise (a question, an objection); to put forward (a subject for discussion).
• To begin, commence, initiate.
• To bring onto being or into view; to originate; to invent.
• To have its origin (at), begin.
• To move suddenly, from a previous state of rest; to startle.
• To jerk, jump up, flinch, or draw back in surprise.
• To move suddenly, from a previous state of rest; to startle.
• To awaken suddenly.
• To move suddenly, from a previous state of rest; to startle.
• To disturb and set in motion; to alarm; to rouse; to cause to flee.
• To move suddenly, from a previous state of rest; to startle.
• To come loose, to break free of a firmly set position; to displace or loosen; to dislocate.
• To put into play.
• To pour out; to empty; to tap and begin drawing from.
• To begin one's menstrual cycle.

Adv

• Completely, utterly.

Examples

• Captured pieces are returned to the start of the board.
• Have you started yet?
• He woke with a start.
• Jones has been a substitute before, but made his first start for the team last Sunday.
• She always tried to start her Scrabble game with a high-scoring word.
• The blue line starts one foot away from the wall.
• The hounds started a fox.
• The movie was entertaining from start to finish.
• The President fired the gun to start the footrace.
• The rain started at 9:00.
• The speed limit is 50 km/h, starting at the edge of town.
• the storm started the bolts in the vessel
• to start a stream of water; to start a rumour; to start a business
• to start a water cask
• to start the engine

Synonyms

begin, beginning, bug out, bulge, bulge out, come out, commence, commencement, depart, embark on, first, get, get down, get going, get-go, go, head start, initiate, jump, kickoff, lead off, offset, originate, outset, part, pop, pop out, protrude, scratch, scratch line, set about, set forth, set off, set out, showtime, start out, start up, starting, starting line, starting signal, starting time, startle, take off, take up

Antonyms

end, finish, middle, stop, cease, complete, conclude

Related Words

get started, jump-start, start off, start on, start out, start up, the terms derived from starting

Anagrams of start