starting
Americanadjective
-
being a price, amount, player lineup, etc., fixed at the beginning.
If you get hired, what will your starting salary be?
-
setting out on a course of action; taking the first steps in an activity.
The idea of the frosh pub mingle is for you to meet your fellow starting students.
-
coming to life, becoming active, or beginning to move.
She listened for the sound of a starting car, but all was still.
Etymology
Origin of starting
First recorded in 1810–15; start ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. )
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.
McPhail said homeowners are starting to tap more of their home equity but that those extractions are rising more for consumers with lower credit scores.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
The researchers used this ultrasoft behavior as one of their starting assumptions.
From Science Daily • May 19, 2026
The person fled police in a vehicle, starting a pursuit that led into South Los Angeles, ending near a parking structure in the 900 block of West 85th Street, police said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Around 400 kilometres away, change is already starting to ripple through the archipelago's island of Little Andaman, which Joshi has said will see the "next developmental thrust" after Great Nicobar.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
‘The drawer slipped. I couldn’t get it back in. Hannie will be furious if she thinks I’ve been snooping around in her things,’ I said, starting to panic.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
![]()
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.