- present participle of start.
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.
"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
When he was not named in the starting XI, Carse was released to play for Durham away at Derbyshire, a game the Division Two leaders won on Saturday evening.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The Dodgers swept the three-game weekend series against the supposed contenders behind three starting pitchers who will lead off the playoffs yet who would not all be here if Walter didn’t own the joint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
The automaker contracted for production in South Korea starting last year, in part to avoid hefty U.S. tariffs on electric vehicles originating from China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
I was starting to really dislike this whole binding bargains and promises thing.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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.
