jump-start
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to give a jump-start to.
to jump-start an engine.
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to enliven or revive.
to jump-start a sluggish economy.
verb
noun
Etymology
Origin of jump-start
First recorded in 1975–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The idea is to jump-start brands and accelerate organic sales growth to a 3% to 5% annual clip by the third year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Other times, they can stir controversy and, on rare occasions, even jump-start careers.
From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026
“The doctors hastily placed me on oxygen to jump-start my lungs. It worked,” he wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Banks promised models a jump-start into the fashion industry.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026
To jump-start the youngest children into a better life, she sponsored a kindergarten.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.