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

See Examples For:

head start

That means the body should already have a head start if it encounters Ebolavirus for real.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Chinese brands got a head start on EVs in part thanks to government subsidies, but they grew their competitive advantage by acting fast, said Stephen Dyer, Asia-Pacific leader of AlixPartners’ automotive and industrial practice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

Starting early gives them a significant head start in building long-term wealth just from five years of work.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026

In his most famous puzzle, “The Achilles,” Zeno proves that swift Achilles can never catch up with a lumbering tortoise that has a head start.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife