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Showing results for start something. Search instead for start preparing.
Synonyms

start something

Idioms  

  1. Cause trouble, especially a quarrel or fight, as in Stop bringing that up—do you want to start something? [Colloquial; early 1900s]

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.

"People don't dare to start something because it's expensive, and a lot of banks are reluctant to loan money to set up a proper business," he said.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

"I just thought 'This is ridiculous, and as soon as Covid is over, I'm going to start something where I can start sharing my baby's clothes'."

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

“I had no idea that I would start something new after I had a child. It’s amazing to share the joy and the experience with her,” she explains.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

He'll start something and then he'll be like, "Oh, I wish you had been a part of it."

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2024

I’m not sure if she guesses there’s a whole pot of bubbling anger inside of me and she’s holding me down before I start something, or if she is telling me everything’s okay.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

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.