to begin or set out, as on a journey or activity.
to appear or come suddenly into action, life, view, etc.; rise or issue suddenly forth.
to spring, move, or dart suddenly from a position or place.
The rabbit started from the bush.
to be among the entrants in a race or the initial participants in a game or contest.
to give a sudden, involuntary jerk, jump, or twitch, as from a shock of surprise, alarm, or pain.
The sudden clap of thunder caused everyone to start.
to protrude.
eyes seeming to start from their sockets.
to spring, slip, or work loose from place or fastenings, as timbers or other structural parts.
to set moving, going, or acting; to set in operation.
to start an automobile; to start a fire.
to establish or found.
to start a new business.
to begin work on.
to start a book.
to enable or help (someone) set out on a journey, a career, or the like.
The record started the young singer on the road to stardom.
to cause or choose to be an entrant in a game or contest.
He started his ace pitcher in the crucial game.
to cause (an object) to work loose from place or fastenings.
to rouse (game) from its lair or covert; flush.
to draw or discharge (liquid or other contents) from a vessel or container; empty (a container).
Archaic. to cause to twitch, jump, or flinch involuntarily; startle.
a beginning of an action, journey, etc.
a signal to move, proceed, or begin, as on a course or in a race.
a place or time from which something begins.
the first part or beginning segment of anything.
The start of the book was good but the last half was dull.
an instance of being a participant in a race or an initial participant in a game or contest.
The horse won his first two starts.
a sudden, springing movement from a position.
a sudden, involuntary jerking movement of the body.
to awake with a start.
a lead or advance of specified amount, as over competitors or pursuers.
the position or advantage of one who starts first.
The youngest child should have the start over the rest.
a chance, opportunity, aid, or encouragement given to one starting on a course or career.
The bride's parents gave the couple a start by buying them a house.
a spurt of activity.
a starting of parts from their place or fastenings in a structure.
the resulting break or opening.
an outburst or sally, as of emotion, wit, or fancy.
to begin or cause to begin (something or to do something); come or cause to come into being, operation, etc
he started a quarrel
they started to work
to make or cause to make a beginning of (a process, series of actions, etc)
they started on the project
(sometimes foll by up) to set or be set in motion
he started up the machine
(intr) to make a sudden involuntary movement of one's body, from or as if from fright; jump
(intr; sometimes foll by up, away, etc) to spring or jump suddenly from a position or place
to establish or be established; set up
to start a business
(tr) to support (someone) in the first part of a venture, career, etc
to work or cause to work loose
to enter or be entered in a race
(intr) to flow violently from a source
wine started from a hole in the cask
(tr) to rouse (game) from a hiding place, lair, etc
(intr) (esp of eyes) to bulge; pop
an archaic word for startle
informal (intr) to commence quarrelling or causing a disturbance
in the first place
the first or first part of a series of actions or operations, a journey, etc
the place or time of starting, as of a race or performance
a signal to proceed, as in a race
a lead or advantage, either in time or distance and usually of specified extent, in a competitive activity
he had an hour's start on me
a slight involuntary movement of the body, as through fright, surprise, etc
she gave a start as I entered
an opportunity to enter a career, undertake a project, etc
informal a surprising incident
a part that has come loose or been disengaged
spasmodically; without concerted effort
in the first place
See begin.
First recorded before 1150; Middle English verb sterte(n), stirte(n), “to rush out, leap” (cognate with Middle High German sterzen ); replacing Old English styrtan (attested once), cognate with German stürzen; noun derivative of the verb
The beginning of something is the start. The start of the movie may have been a little slow, but by the end you were on the edge of your seat. As a verb, start means to begin an activity or event. Some people turn to the last page of a book before they even start it, so they'll be prepared for the ending. Start can also mean to move suddenly in surprise or alarm, or to startle. This is actually the original meaning of the word start, which comes from the Old English word styrtan, meaning to caper or to leap up.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With more than 300,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts videos about life in Brazil, she iss now planning to start her own fashion brand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
In 2017, the last time the event was played on this magnificent links on the Merseyside coast, Fleetwood battled superbly after a nervous start to make an Open cut for the first time.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
We start by accepting that the familiar culture is fading away as intelligent machines appear in our society and we do not know what is coming.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
The budget airline said Tuesday that it planned to start offering Starlink Wi-Fi early next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
He was still weak from the fever, and in no state to start a journey.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as "New START" and signed in 2010 was one of a handful of agreements designed to help prevent a catastrophic nuclear war.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026
Jon Wolfsthal, director of global risk at the Federation of American Scientists, said Trump and Putin could pick up the phone and agree immediately at a political level to extend New START.
From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026
New START, which limits the U.S. and Russia to 1,550 nuclear warheads, is set to expire on Feb. 5.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Allowing inspections of weapons sites and providing information on the placement of intercontinental and submarine-based ballistic missiles and their test launches are critical components of New START, which U.S.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 12, 2023
He told us he had then on these mountains 15,000 head of dear, and thought we might like to see a START, as it is called.
From Letters from England by Bancroft, Elizabeth Davis
When shoppers see a price that starts with a 10 instead of a nine, “that’s a very, very different price experience…Immediately you’re going to think that’s expensive because your brain doesn’t process the number.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
It starts, of course, with their ridiculously large stack of money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
"I can't wait," O'Reilly, who will probably have to defend against Messi one-on-one if he starts at left-back, told BBC Radio 5 Live.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
The chart above suggests “you don’t have to worry about margin debt until it starts to get out of control” in that 10th decile, according to Opsal.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
He starts to turn but I call out before I can second-guess what I’m doing.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Italian investors have planted large orchards in a nearby village and have started to export back home.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
He started his career in 1997 in corporate development and held roles including the head of global strategy for the Jack Daniel’s brands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
“It’s always been about the craft first for me. I started doing this very young, so I’ve seen how ego can kill someone inside out, even the most talented people.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Also, two months after Yuka's launch, the French government started its Nutri-Score labeling, external.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
And then, suddenly, I just started sobbing uncontrollably.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Across the country, some locales are starting to ban smartglasses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Hamawy had spent time around Abdel-Rahman in the early 1990s, during the gap between graduating from Rutgers and starting medical school.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
—Moves in Asian markets were mixed in the afternoon after starting the day largely in the red.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The river once terrorized Angelenos; its unconstrained flow was prone to flooding until most of its 51 miles were lined with concrete starting in the 1940s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
“So, starting tomorrow, I’ll find out as much as I can about all three,” I tell Rue.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
