head start

American  

Or headstart

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of head start

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Schwab is not the only firm now offering children as young as 13 greater autonomy over their investments — a change that they believe can give kids a better head start in building good habits.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Together, Azure and OpenAI learned how to build AI infrastructure at scale, giving Microsoft a key head start in the AI revolution.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Amazon had a head start in AI with the release of the Echo smart speaker with Alexa in 2014.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

"Intervening in the 30s, 40s and 50s gives us a head start," Erickson said.

From Science Daily • Jan. 22, 2026

It took her a while to maneuver her wheelchair between the tables, so Julian had a head start.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg