Meaning of start In English

• 0 to begin doing something:

  • 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.

  • She started her own software company.

  • A lot of new restaurants have started up in the region.

  • A new series about wildlife has started on Monday nights.

  • Police believe the fire was started by arsonists.

  • The speaker started with a description of her journey to China.

  • Give me your answers one by one, starting with Lucy.

  • You could start by weeding the flowerbeds.

  • He started his working life as an engineer but later became a teacher.

  • Don't start with me - we're not going and that's that!

  • informal "It would help if Richard did some work." "Oh, don't get me started on Richard!"

  • When can we get started?

  • You could tell the guy wanted to start something, so we just walked away.

  • He started work at 16 in a bakery.

  • We only knew two people in Montreal to start with, but we soon made friends.

  • To start with, we need better computers - then we need more training.

• 1 to begin at one point and then move to another, in distance or range:

  • The run starts at/from the entrance to the park.

  • We'll need to start (off/out) early because the journey takes six hours.

  • Tell me what happened - start at the beginning.

  • Ticket prices start at/from €80 and go up to €500.

• 2 to move your body suddenly because something has surprised or frightened you:

  • He started at the sound of the phone.

• 3 to (cause to) begin to work or operate:

  • I'm having trouble starting the car.

  • The engine won't start.

• 4 the beginning of something:

  • We were doubtful about the product's usefulness from the start.

  • They announced the start of a new commercial venture.

  • The weather was good at the start (= in the first part) of the week.

  • The event got off to a shaky/poor start with the stage lights failing in the first few minutes.

  • We need to make a start on (preparing) the brochure next week.

  • The whole party was a disaster from start to finish.

  • We'll take names and phone numbers for a start, then later on we can get more details.

  • This book is better than her last one. For a start, it's shorter.

• 5 an advantage that you have over someone else when you begin something:

  • We gave the youngest children a five-second start (= in a race).

• 6 a sudden movement of the body that you make when something has surprised or frightened you:

  • He woke with a start.

  • She gave a start as I entered.

• 7 to begin to do something or go somewhere, or to begin or happen:

  • [ 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).

  • [ I ] Don’t start – I said no!

• 8 to cause something to be or happen:

  • His mother started the craft market at the community center.

  • You’ve been starting trouble all morning.

• 9 to move your body suddenly because something has surprised you:

  • He started when the car backfired.

• 10 to cause something to operate, or to begin to work or operate:

  • [ T ] Annie went outside to start the car.

  • [ I ] I heard a lawnmower start.

• 11 the time where something begins, or the act of beginning:

  • [ U ] We were worried from the start.

  • [ U ] They announced the start of the race.

  • [ C ] The play got off to a bad start.

• 12 a sudden movement of your body because something has surprised you:

  • He woke with a start when the alarm sounded.

• 13 to begin to work in a job:

  • 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.

• 14 to begin to be employed for the first time:

  • He started work at 16 in a local baker's.

  • I start work at 8.30 in the morning.

• 15 to begin an activity or a set of activities:

  • 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.

• 16 if a business or other organization starts, or if someone starts one, it is created and starts to operate:

  • 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.

• 17 to begin at one level and then move to another:

  • prices start at/from sth Ticket prices start at €20 and go up to €100.

• 18 to begin in a particular way and then change later:

  • 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.

• 19 if a machine or vehicle starts, or you start it, it begins to work or operate:

  • I started the computer and checked my mail.

• 20 the beginning of something:

  • 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.

• 21 the act of beginning to do something:

  • make a start on sth/doing sth European funding has been obtained to enable us to make a start on the project.

• 22 a business or job that has just begun, or a person who has just started a new job:

  • 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.

• 23 an opportunity to begin something and start to be successful at it:

  • She got her start with the company as an accountant, auditing their books.

• 24 →  head start

• 25 a situation in which you start something again in a completely new and different way after you have been unsuccessful:

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