start on

British

verb

informal (intr, preposition) to pick a quarrel with (someone)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

I was able to get a head start on recovery by going to bed early.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

The rescheduled tour will now start on 23 May, with just nine dates.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

The transition will start on Friday and involve liquidating 30% of The Container Store’s categories and products.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

If those four stocks were managed by Combs, Berkshire might have got a start on selling those stocks in December after Combs left Berkshire.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

“We’d better start on back if I’m going to tackle stew yet today.”

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023