definitions

flying start

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flying start ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a start, as in sailboat racing, in which the entrants begin moving before reaching the starting line.
a start or beginning of anything, characterized by the participant's vigor and enthusiasm and sometimes by a certain advantage over competitors: She's off to a flying start in her new job.

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Nearby words

flying picket, flying saucer, flying shear, flying squad, flying squirrel, flying start, flying tackle, flying tigers, flying wedge, flying wing, flying-spot

Origin of flying start

First recorded in 1850–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for flying start

flying start

noun

Also called (informal): flyer (in sprinting) a start by a competitor anticipating the starting signal
a start to a race or time trial in which the competitor is already travelling at speed as he passes the starting line
any promising beginning
an initial advantage over others
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with flying start

flying start

see under get off the ground.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.