head start

American  

Or headstart

noun

head starts plural

1. an advantage given or acquired in any competition, endeavor, etc., as allowing one or more competitors in a race to start before the others.

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head start British  

noun

1. an initial advantage in a competitive situation

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head start Idioms  

1. An early start that confers an advantage, as in This year we'll get a head start on the competition by running more ads. The expression comes from racing, where it was used for a horse being given an advantage of several lengths over the others. Its extension to other areas dates from the early 1900s.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• head starts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of head start

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

That head start isn’t even the most concerning part.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

All would mean that the immune system has a head start when it comes to fighting a real Ebola infection.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

And Delrahim’s move gave Ellison’s Paramount a head start in the regulatory approval process.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

The bond market is among those getting a head start on the holiday weekend, closing early on Friday.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

Hence any attempt to understand the origins of the modern world must come to grips with the question why the Fertile Crescent’s domesticated plants and animals gave it such a potent head start.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond