running start

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noun
  1. Sports. a start, as in the hop, step, and jump or the running broad jump, in which a contestant begins moving before reaching the starting or take-off point.

  2. an initial advantage in undertaking something; a head start: His background gave him a running start in business.

Origin of running start

1
First recorded in 1925–30

Words Nearby running start

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use running start in a sentence

Other Idioms and Phrases with running start

running start

An initial advantage, as in His background in biochemistry gave him a running start in the field of genetics. This expression alludes to track events such as the running broad jump, in which one begins moving before reaching the actual take-off point. [1920s] Also see under get off the ground.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.