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

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start

2 of 3

noun

started

3 of 3

verb (2)

past tense of start
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Example 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
Chris Van Gorder, Scripps’ chief executive officer, said in a recent interview that the project, which still needs permits from the City of San Marcos, would start with the ambulatory building. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025 Love, playing in just his 21st game this season with the Heat, started and scored 10 points with six rebounds. Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 6 Mar. 2025
Noun
Got his four innings, got his pitch count to a good place (in his last Cactus League start). Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025 Monday night marked Highsmith’s first start since Feb. 7 against the Brooklyn Nets. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 17 Mar. 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
  • San Sebastián, however, has taken a different and more inclusive approach from the very beginning.
    Jamie Lang, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
  • That study ran from the end of 2012 to the beginning of 2019.
    Brenda Goodman, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Following the commencement of the band’s U.K. and Ireland tour, Fontaines D.C.’s fourth LP Romance rises 15 places to finish the week at No. 13; the record originally went to No. 2 in August, and was beaten to the top spot during Carpenter’s reign at the top of the charts.
    Thomas Smith, Billboard, 6 Dec. 2024
  • In 1979, Radner gave the commencement speech—fully in character as Roseanne Roseannadanna—to the graduating class at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, part of which wound up on her comedy album Gilda Radner: Live From New York, released that same year.
    Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • According to Slate, it has rarely been invoked since its inception, and was last used during World War II to justify the detention in concentration camps of Japanese noncitizens.
    James Factora, Them, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Since its inception, Universal Standard, which is headquartered in Brooklyn, has fulfilled over one million orders.
    Lisa Lockwood, WWD, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The world has been in a state of perpetual transformation since the onset of the pandemic.
    Pablo Listingart, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
  • This two-season potboiler, set a decade after the onset of the outbreak, follows teenage sisters (Aliyah Royale and Alexa Mansour) who’ve led sheltered, terrified existences among the first generation to grow up in flesh-eating turmoil.
    Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The launch of the network in 2014 was a watershed moment.
    Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2025
  • The drop came despite the launch of such news series as Dark Matter on Apple TV+ and Cruel Intentions on Amazon Prime Video.
    Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Start.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/start. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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