26984 words

starts

43 definitions • 82 examples
1
to begin doing something:

Examples:

When do you start your course/your new job?
We'll be starting (the session) at six o'clock.
Can you start (= begin a new job) on Monday?
[ + -ing verb ] They started building the house in January.
[ + to infinitive ] I'd just started to write a letter when the phone rang.
2
If a business or other organization starts, or if someone starts one, it is created and starts to operate:

Examples:

She started her own software company.
A lot of new restaurants have started up in the region.
3
to begin to happen or to make something begin to happen:

Examples:

A new series about wildlife has started on Monday nights.
Police believe the fire was started by arsonists.
4
to begin a set of activities with the thing or person mentioned:

Examples:

start with The speaker started with a description of her journey to China.
Give me your answers one by one, starting with Lucy.
start by You could start by weeding the flowerbeds.
start something as something He started his working life as an engineer but later became a teacher.
5
to begin to complain or be annoying in some way:

Examples:

Don't start with me - we're not going and that's that!
don't get someone started informal "It would help if Richard did some work." "Oh, don't get me started on Richard!"
6
to begin:

Examples:

When can we get started?
7
to have your first child:

Examples:

At that point, we were thinking of starting a family.
8
to begin to live in a different way or do things differently:

Examples:

A new house gives you the chance to start afresh.
9
to begin an argument or a fight:

Examples:

You could tell the guy wanted to start something, so we just walked away.
10
to begin being employed:

Examples:

He started work at 16 in a bakery.
11
at the beginning, or as the first of several things:

Examples:

We only knew two people in Montreal to start with, but we soon made friends.
12
to begin at one point and then move to another, in distance or range:

Examples:

start at/from The run starts at/from the entrance to the park.
start (off/out) We'll need to start (off/out) early because the journey takes six hours.
start at the beginning Tell me what happened - start at the beginning.
Ticket prices start at/from €80 and go up to €500.
13
to move your body suddenly because something has surprised or frightened you:

Examples:

start at He started at the sound of the phone.
14
to (cause to) begin to work or operate:

Examples:

I'm having trouble starting the car.
The engine won't start.
15
the beginning of something:

Examples:

from the start We were doubtful about the product's usefulness from the start.
start of They announced the start of a new commercial venture.
at the start The weather was good at the start (= in the first part) of the week.
get off to a shaky/poor/etc. start The event got off to a shaky/poor start with the stage lights failing in the first few minutes.
16
the act of beginning to do something:

Examples:

make a start on We need to make a start on (preparing) the brochure next week.
17
including all of something, from the beginning to the end:

Examples:

The whole party was a disaster from start to finish.
18
first, or as the first in a set of things:

Examples:

We'll take names and phone numbers for a start, then later on we can get more details.
19
used when giving a first example of something:

Examples:

This book is better than her last one. For a start, it's shorter.
20
an occasion when you are a competitor in a race or one of the team members that plays at the beginning of a game:

Examples:

in start It was her seventh goal of the season in 13 starts.
The three-year-old horse is unbeaten in six starts.
21
an advantage that you have over someone else when you begin something:

Examples:

We gave the youngest children a five-second start (= in a race).
22
a sudden movement of the body that you make when something has surprised or frightened you:

Examples:

with a start He woke with a start.
give a start She gave a start as I entered.
23
to begin to do something or go somewhere, or to begin or happen:

Examples:

[ T ] When do you start your new job?
[ I ] We started with nothing when we got married.
[ I ] Classes start next month.
[ I ] Work starts at 9:00 a.m.
[ I ] Ticket prices start at $20 (= these are the cheapest prices).
[ T ] I just started this book (= began to read it).
[ I ] We’ll start out with Lucy (= She will be the first).
24
infml If you tell someone not to start, you are warning that person not to begin complaining or annoying you:

Examples:

[ I ] Don’t start – I said no!
25
to cause something to be or happen:

Examples:

His mother started the craft market at the community center.
You’ve been starting trouble all morning.
26
to move your body suddenly because something has surprised you:

Examples:

He started when the car backfired.
27
to cause something to operate, or to begin to work or operate:

Examples:

[ T ] Annie went outside to start the car.
[ I ] I heard a lawnmower start.
28
the time where something begins, or the act of beginning:

Examples:

[ U ] We were worried from the start.
[ U ] They announced the start of the race.
[ C ] The play got off to a bad start.
29
a sudden movement of your body because something has surprised you:

Examples:

He woke with a start when the alarm sounded.
30
to begin to work in a job:

Examples:

Can you start on Monday?
I recently started a new job and I'm enjoying it very much so far.
Entry-level employees start at low salaries.
31
to begin to be employed for the first time:

Examples:

He started work at 16 in a local baker's.
32
to begin your day at work:

Examples:

I start work at 8.30 in the morning.
33
to begin an activity or a set of activities:

Examples:

He started the talk with a review of the past year's achievements.
start by doing sth She started by thanking us all for attending.
34
if a business or other organization starts, or if someone starts one, it is created and starts to operate:

Examples:

start a business/company She started her own software company last year.
The economic model of small, farmer-owned ethanol plants got the industry started.
35
to begin at one level and then move to another:

Examples:

prices start at/from sth Ticket prices start at €20 and go up to €100.
36
to begin in a particular way and then change later:

Examples:

He started his working life as an engineer, but later became a teacher.
start as sth The company started as a snow removal business with one truck, and grew from there.
start with sth He started with nothing and was a millionaire by the time he was 35.
37
if a machine or vehicle starts, or you start it, it begins to work or operate:

Examples:

I started the computer and checked my mail.
38
the beginning of something:

Examples:

get off to a bad/good/slow start The FTSE 100 got off to another good start and climbed steadily through the morning
The shares have fallen from 418p at the start of the year to 121p today.
Accessibility is something you must think about right from the start when you're choosing your venue.
Johnson led the project from start to finish.
39
the act of beginning to do something:

Examples:

make a start on sth/doing sth European funding has been obtained to enable us to make a start on the project.
40
a business or job that has just begun, or a person who has just started a new job:

Examples:

Construction spending, driven by starts of new factories and highways, rose a larger-than-expected 0.9%.
They have been providing reliable data on small business starts and closures since 2003.
All new starts are expected to sign the workplace agreement.
41
an opportunity to begin something and start to be successful at it:

Examples:

She got her start with the company as an accountant, auditing their books.
42
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43
a situation in which you start something again in a completely new and different way after you have been unsuccessful:

Examples:

The program will allow economically strapped taxpayers to make a fresh start.

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