start

1 of 3

verb

started; starting; starts

intransitive verb

1
a
: to move suddenly and violently : spring
started angrily to his feet
b
: to react with a sudden brief involuntary movement
started when a shot rang out
2
a
: to issue with sudden force
blood starting from the wound
b
: to come into being, activity, or operation
when does the movie start
the rain started up again
3
: to protrude or seem to protrude
eyes starting from their sockets
4
: to become loosened or forced out of place
one of the planks has started
5
a
: to begin a course or journey
started toward the door
just starting out
b
: to range from a specified initial point
the rates start at $10
6
: to begin an activity or undertaking
especially : to begin work
7
: to be a participant in a game or contest
especially : to be in the starting lineup

transitive verb

1
: to cause to leave a place of concealment : flush
start a rabbit
2
archaic : startle, alarm
3
: to bring up for consideration or discussion
4
: to bring into being
start a rumor
5
: to cause to become loosened or displaced
6
: to begin the use of
start a fresh loaf of bread
7
a
: to cause to move, act, or operate
start the motor
b
: to cause to enter a game or contest
especially : to put in the starting lineup
c
: to care for or train during the early stages of growth and development
started plants
a well-started coonhound
8
: to do or experience the first stages or actions of
started studying music at the age of five

start

2 of 3

noun

1
a
: a sudden involuntary bodily movement or reaction
woke with a start
b
: a brief and sudden action or movement
c
: a sudden capricious impulse or outburst
2
: a beginning of movement, activity, or development
a false start
housing starts
3
4
: a place of beginning
5
: the act or an instance of being a competitor in a race or a member of a starting lineup in a game
undefeated in six startsCurrent Biography

START

3 of 3

abbreviation

strategic arms reduction talks
Phrases
start something or less commonly start anything
: to make trouble
always trying to start something
don't start anything
to start with
1
: at the beginning : initially
2
: in any event
Choose the Right Synonym for start

begin, commence, start, initiate, inaugurate, usher in mean to take the first step in a course, process, or operation.

begin, start, and commence are often interchangeable.

begin, opposed to end, is the most general.

begin a trip
began dancing

start, opposed to stop, applies especially to first actions, steps, or stages.

the work started slowly

commence can be more formal or bookish than begin or start.

commence firing
commenced a conversation

initiate implies taking a first step in a process or series that is to continue.

initiated diplomatic contacts

inaugurate suggests a beginning of some formality or notion of significance.

the discovery of penicillin inaugurated a new era in medicine

usher in is somewhat less weighty than inaugurate.

ushered in a period of economic decline

Examples of start in a Sentence

Verb They started clearing land for the new housing development. He started studying music at the age of five. As soon as you're ready to play, we'll start. Let's start with some warm-up exercises. He deleted what he wrote and started fresh. Olympic athletes start young and train hard. I started the quilt last month. Have you started your book report? We started the meeting at 6:30. She started the meeting with a brief review of the previous meeting. Noun knew from the start of the game that he would win easily
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Located in a swathe of northwest Saudi Arabia roughly the size of Belgium that comprises giant boulders, ancient artifacts, a lush oasis and sandstone canyons, AlUla is becoming a local film production hub and starting to attract international productions and talents. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024 The ride, after all, starts with reggae music and chill vibes. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Resume the process the doctor started of seizing her keys; take the marital hit as a public service. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 Things can become more complex if someone who starts the fight backs off in the middle of it — effectively tapping out. Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024 What started as the Baltimore business venture of an immigrant from a small European town in 1924 has become a company that sold more than 1,100 properties and thousands of fine art items last year. Tony Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 8 Mar. 2024 Biden took about 35 minutes between finishing his speech and exiting the House chamber — shaking hands, chatting with members of Congress and answering questions until the lights started to switch off around him. Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 The neighborhood also started to decline after the first generation of homeowners passed on, according to Clark. Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024 Spurs coach Gregg Popovich started Collins in place of Wembanyama, who is averaging 20.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.4 blocks and 1.3 steals. Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
The Poke feature, which was part of Facebook at its start, has seen a 13-fold increase in use in the past month, the company announced in a Thread this week. Bychris Morris, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024 That’s ahead of the $13.6 million opening of A24’s horror pic Hereditary in 2018, which to date is the top start for the indie studio and distributor. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2024 Seventy-two years after its start as a 15-minute radio serial, TV's longest-running soap opera aired its last episode in September 2009 — a year after the Irna Phillips creation began a new production model, which featured permanent sets and a lot of outdoor filming. Abby West, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024 The company, which got its start as a battery maker, dethroned Tesla in the final quarter of last year as the world’s top seller of battery EVs. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 20 Mar. 2024 Like the album title suggests in Spanish, the project was a thrilling start for Frontera. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 That would be a good start to ensure that cooling does not heat the planet. Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024 The men's First Four starts Tuesday and the women's First Four contests start Wednesday. USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 Boyle has walked nine batters in seven innings over his last two starts. Jon Becker, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'start.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English sterten; akin to Middle High German sterzen to stand up stiffly, move quickly

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of start was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near start

Cite this Entry

“Start.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/start. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

start

1 of 2 verb
1
: to move suddenly and sharply : give a sudden twitch or jerk (as in surprise)
2
: to come or bring into being, activity, or operation
who started the rumor
started a camp for youngsters
fire started in the cellar
the game started late
3
: to stick out or seem to stick out : protrude
eyes that started from their sockets
4
: set out sense 2, begin
start to school
5
: to take part or cause to take part in a game or contest
6
: to cause to move, act, or operate
start the motor

start

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: a quick unwilled bodily reaction
b
: a brief and sudden action or movement
2
: a beginning of movement, activity, or development
get an early start
3
: a lead or advantage at the beginning of a race or competition : head start
4
: a place of beginning

More from Merriam-Webster on start

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!