start
verb (used without object)
to begin or set out, as on a journey or activity.
start
1 American
[stahrt]
/ stɑrt /
verb (used without object)
-
starts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
started,
past participle, past
-
starting
present participle
-
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.
verb (used with object)
-
starts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
started,
past participle, past
-
starting
present participle
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- institute
-
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.
noun
-
starts
plural
-
a beginning of an action, journey, etc.
- Synonyms:
- onset, commencement
-
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.
START
2
American
[stahrt]
/ stɑrt /
noun
start
1
British
/ stɑːt /
verb
-
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
noun
-
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
START
2
British
/ stɑːt /
acronym
start
Idioms
Synonym Usage
See begin.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
startsimple
-
startssimple
-
have startedperfect
-
has startedperfect
-
am startingprogressive
-
are startingprogressive
-
is startingprogressive
-
have been startingperfect progressive
-
has been startingperfect progressive
Past
-
startedsimple
-
had startedperfect
-
was startingprogressive
-
were startingprogressive
-
had been startingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of start
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
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing start
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.
See Examples For:
That we see the group start horrified and scared for their lives, and then watch as they embrace their place in the infinite agony to the point that it becomes comical, is remarkable.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Mo'unga will start at 10 in Tuesday's match against Johannesburg-based provincial side the Lions.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
He added that despite progress towards a pact, "that momentum reversed" in the end, stressing that building domestically and diversifying trade abroad has been "plan A from the start."
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Make sure you ask the lender about repayment terms so you understand when you’ll start making payments and how long the loan will take to pay off.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
We start bickering back and forth in the time-honored tradition of siblings everywhere.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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
New START, the last nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow after decades of agreements dating to the Cold War, is set to expire, and with it restrictions on the two top nuclear powers.
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
The New START, the last remaining nuclear arms control pact between Russia and the United States, limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 18, 2024
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 Elizabeth Davis Bancroft
Although Muse isn’t sure what the next positive catalyst for Nvidia shares will be, “when this stock starts moving, we think it is going to move very, very fast,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
Jake Slaughter starts at center for the Chargers and Trey Lance shows his speed, but miscues on special teams and defense lead to a preseason loss to the 49ers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
The most passionate have tickets for multiple shows of his Madison Square Garden residency that starts this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Having left Spotify in 2024 to launch his own company, Alt, Kalia now starts most days at 5:30 or 6 a.m., wrapping up around 9 or 10 p.m.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
I thought, “Oh, no! If she gives me a dose of castor oil, and then starts reading to me, I will surely die.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Hansi Flick's side remain interested in Alvarez, but fear Atletico's stance isn't purely posturing and have started to consider alternative options, including Arsenal's Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The idea of the model harness started becoming more prominent this year, developing alongside reasoning models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
These samples allowed them to observe what happened when people started or stopped certain medications.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
A native Angeleno, she started taking classes at Swordplay LA and soon became a nationally-ranked fencing youth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Now that I had started school it was only in the summer that I could go with him.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
"Schools are starting the year with a rule that is not written into their internal regulations, except perhaps for those that tried to anticipate something, but that remains very limited."
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Days before starting Palace's Premier League opener at Everton, Fifa ruled that the matter was not in its jurisdiction.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Paramount faces a ticking fee of roughly $650 million a quarter starting Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
That futility was starting to spill over to his defense, too, as he dropped a routine foul ball in front of a crowd whose patience had long since worn thin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
It takes me a minute before I realize he’s starting his next turn.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
