# start

Pronunciation: US say "STAHRT" /stɑɹt/; UK say "STAHT" /stɑːt/

## Verb

1. To begin an activity or process, or, of an event or process, to begin happening or come into operation.
   - Simple: To begin doing something, or to begin to happen.
   - _The concert will start as soon as the lights go down._
   - _It started raining just as we left the house._
3. To have one's origin or lowest point at a particular place, time, or level; to begin from a given point.
   - Simple: To begin at a certain place, point, or level.
   - _The property line starts at the big oak and runs north._
   - _Ticket prices start at forty dollars and rise sharply for the best seats._
4. To cause something to begin or come into existence; to set up, found, or originate an activity, business, custom, or process.
   - Simple: To make something begin or exist, such as a business, a club, or a new habit.
   - _A group of parents started a fund to repair the playground._
   - _She hopes to start a book club at the library._
5. To get a vehicle, engine, or machine running, or, of the machine, to begin running.
   - Simple: To make a car, engine, or machine begin to run, or of a machine, to begin running.
   - _Turn the key to start the engine, then wait for the light to go off._
   - _The old generator starts only after a lot of coaxing._
6. In sports, to play in a game from the beginning rather than coming on as a substitute, or to pick a player to do so.
   - Simple: In sports, to play from the beginning of a game, or to choose a player to do this.
   - _Injuries forced the manager to start two teenagers in the final._
   - _The manager started him on the mound for the first time in May._
11. To make a sudden, involuntary jerk or jump from surprise, fear, or alarm, or to wake suddenly with such a jolt.
   - Simple: To jump or move suddenly because you are surprised or scared, or to wake up suddenly.
   - _She started when a hand touched her shoulder in the dark._
   - _Horses start easily, so approach them slowly and speak softly._
14. To raise a question, objection, or topic; to put a subject forward so that discussion of it begins.
   - Simple: To bring up a subject or question so that people begin to discuss it.
15. To begin menstruating, either for the first time or at the onset of a monthly period; a euphemism, usually used without an object.
   - Simple: To begin having periods, or to begin a monthly period.
   - _The doctor asked whether her daughter had started yet._
   - _She was worried she might start during the exam._
16. To rouse or alarm a creature so that it breaks from cover or takes flight; more broadly, to disturb and set something in motion.
   - Simple: To frighten an animal so that it suddenly moves or runs away.
   - _The beaters moved through the wood to start the pheasants toward the guns._
   - _His shout started a flock of pigeons from the roof._
17. Of a fixed part such as a bolt, plank, or joint: to work loose or shift from its seat; also to force such a part loose or out of place.
   - Simple: To come loose from a fixed place, or to make something come loose.
18. In nautical use, to pour out or empty the contents of a cask or tank, or to tap a cask and begin drawing from it.
   - Simple: On a ship, to empty a barrel, or to open it and begin taking liquid out.
   - _With the hold flooding, the captain ordered the men to start the water casks to lighten the ship._
   - _The captain ordered a fresh cask of rum started and a double ration served to every man._

## Noun

2. The beginning of an activity, event, or period, or an occasion when something is set going.
   - Simple: The beginning of something, or a time when something is made to begin.
   - _From the start, the project was short of money._
   - _She scored twice in the first ten minutes, giving her team a strong start._
7. An appearance by a player, horse, or pitcher in a game or race from its beginning, as opposed to coming in as a substitute.
   - Simple: A time when a player or horse takes part in a game or race from the beginning.
   - _After a season on the bench, he finally earned a start in the cup final._
   - _The pitcher has thirty starts this year and has rarely lost._
8. The place or point from which a race, journey, or board game begins; the starting line or starting square.
   - Simple: The place where a race or a game begins.
   - _A crowd gathered at the start to watch the marathon runners set off._
   - _Landing on that square sends your piece back to the start._
9. The opportunity or help someone is given to begin something, such as life or a career, successfully.
   - Simple: The chance or help someone gets to begin something well, like their life or their job.
   - _A small part in a TV comedy gave her her start in acting._
   - _The program aims to give children from poor families the best possible start._
10. A sudden, involuntary jerk or jump of the body, typically caused by surprise, fear, or being woken abruptly.
   - Simple: A sudden small jump of the body, usually because something surprises or frightens a person.
   - _He sat up with a start, sure he had heard footsteps._
   - _The cat's sudden leap gave the old man quite a start._
12. An initial advantage over a rival, especially one gained by beginning earlier; a head start.
   - Simple: An advantage gained by beginning something earlier than other people.
   - _My older brother gave me a ten-second start, and he still beat me to the corner._
   - _The thieves had a full day's start before anyone noticed the theft._
13. In gardening, a young plant raised from seed in a pot or cell tray and sold or kept for transplanting into the garden.
   - Simple: A young plant grown in a small pot, ready to be planted outside.
   - _The nursery sells vegetable starts in six-packs from early spring._
   - _Harden off each start for a week before setting it in the ground._
19. Something, such as a handle, tail or spur, that projects or sticks out from a surface or body.
   - Simple: A part that sticks out from something, such as a handle or a point.

## Noun

20. In archaic British slang, an occurrence, event, or state of affairs, typically a surprising or odd one, as in 'a rum start'. *(archaic, UK)*
   - Simple: In old British slang, an event or situation, especially a strange one.

## Adverb

21. Completely or utterly; a dialectal and archaic variant of 'stark', chiefly in 'start mad' (stark mad). *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An old dialect word meaning completely or totally, as in 'start mad'.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In an old-style water wheel, the curved or sloping front and bottom of each bucket, which the water strikes and fills.
- (noun) The horizontal arm or lever of a horse gin (a horse-powered winding or hoisting machine) to which the horse is harnessed and which it pulls around.

## Origin

**Meanings 2, 7–10, 12–13, 20** — From Middle English stert, which comes from the verb sterten meaning "to start" or "to startle."
**Meanings 1, 3–6, 11, 14–18** — Old English styrtan ("to leap up, start") came from Proto-West Germanic *sturtijan, which may go back to *(s)ter-, a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to be stiff." It became sterten in Middle English, meaning "to leap up suddenly, rush out." Dutch storten and German stürzen are related.
**Meaning 19** — Proto-Germanic *stertaz ("tail") developed into Proto-West Germanic *stert, then Old English steort. In Middle English, the forms were stert or start, meaning "tail, handle, projection." Related words include Dutch staart ("tail") and German Sterz ("tail, handle").
**Meaning 21** — A dialect variant of stark, used as an intensifier meaning 'completely', as in start mad.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/start (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).