jump-start

American  

[juhmp-stahrt] / ˈdʒʌmpˌstɑrt /

noun

1. Automotive. Also the starting of an internal-combustion engine that has a discharged or weak battery by means of booster cables.

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verb (used with object)

1. to give a jump-start to.

   to jump-start an engine.

2. to enliven or revive.

   to jump-start a sluggish economy.

jump-start British  

verb

1. to start the engine of (a car) by connecting it to another engine with jump leads or (of a car) to start in this way

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noun

1. the act of starting a car in this way

Etymology

Origin of jump-start

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

Other times, they can stir controversy and, on rare occasions, even jump-start careers.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

The initiative, and ambitious goals, are supposed to jump-start JPMorgan bankers and employees to do more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

The NBA draft—like its counterparts in the NFL and MLB—is designed to help the weakest teams, by sending the top amateurs their way to jump-start a rebuild.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

So Forté figured he could do it on his own, which led to him meeting a man in a club who had “an operation” and said he could jump-start the musician’s recording career.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026

All of those doctors and nurses were charging down the hall to try and jump-start a child’s heart.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick