start 1 of 3

1
as in to jump
to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise) I started from my chair when I heard the sudden scream

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
3
4
5
6

start

2 of 3

noun

started

3 of 3

verb (2)

past tense of start
1
2
3
4
5
6

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of start
Verb
Before people started fretting about what’s film and what’s TV, Lynch had already shattered and discarded those labels. Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2025 Trade always had its place, but before Trump started hammering away at the issue, the decades-long debate over imports and tariffs was really argued within predetermined bounds. Evan Clark, WWD, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
So far, People’s March events for the Chicago area seem to be getting off to a chaotic start. Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025 After a rocky start to 2025, Wall Street is regaining its swing. Fred Imbert, CNBC, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
That’s quite a feat for a team that started playing football in 1925. Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024 The cold of the night had returned, and the baby had started to shiver. Karen Zautyk, New York Daily News, 24 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for start 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for start
Noun
  • Popular on Variety At the beginning, these demonstrations are at the margins of the film — more like background noise than an integral part of the plot.
    Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 18 Jan. 2025
  • The artifacts are believed to have been hidden by an unknown source around 1939 at the beginning of World War II.
    Angelica Villa, ARTnews.com, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • In 2018, 2001 Dartmouth graduate Mindy Kaling returned to campus to give a hilarious commencement address.
    Diana Pearl, People.com, 2 Dec. 2024
  • Courage Under Fire evidenced that, especially following a kerfuffle just days before over Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s commencement address at Benedictine College in Kansas.
    Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Arguably Formula 1’s most iconic race, the Principality has host a race each year since the world championship’s inception in 1950, save for 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
    Dan Cancian, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
  • The early years of each Silicon Valley platform shift — the inception of the personal computer era, the internet age, or the smartphone boom — have always featured a brief explosion of creativity before the ground cools.
    Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Exposure to air pollution such as wildfire smoke can also lead to the onset of asthma in otherwise healthy people, Lamb said.
    Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Chronic stress disproportionately impacts Black women and is a major contributor to the onset of serious health conditions.
    Jameelah Nasheed, Essence, 13 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • During the boom in subscription streaming launches several years ago, many players launched with pricing that was designed to attract new subscribers but was unsustainable over the long term.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2025
  • The collection launches Wednesday on Adanola’s official website.
    Julia Teti, WWD, 7 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near start

Cite this Entry

“Start.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/start. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

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!