the time at which something is supposed to begin
"they got an early start"
"she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her"
the act of starting something
"he was responsible for the beginning of negotiations"
a line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game
"The runners lined up at the white start before sprinting down the track."
a signal to begin (as in a race)
"the starting signal was a green light"
"the runners awaited the start"
the advantage gained by beginning early (as in a race)
"with an hour's start he will be hard to catch"
The beginning of an activity.
"In the movie, the paramedic shouted for START to begin assessing the casualties at the scene immediately after the explosion."
A tail, or anything projecting like a tail.
A typical button for video games, originally used to start a game, now also often to pause or choose an option.
Acronym of simple triage and rapid treatment.
In plain English: A start is the beginning of something, like when you first begin running a race.
"The start of the race was delayed by heavy rain."
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
"We began working at dawn"
"Who will start?"
"Get working as soon as the sun rises!"
"The first tourists began to arrive in Cambodia"
"He began early in the day"
"Let's get down to work now"
play in the starting lineup
"The coach decided to start him at center field for the first game of the season."
To begin, commence, initiate.
"Please start the meeting on time so we can get through all our agenda items."
To set in motion.
"The new policy will start a chain reaction that could reshape the entire industry."
In plain English: To start something means to begin it or make it happen for the first time.
"She decided to start her new job on Monday."
Usage: Use "start" to indicate the moment an action begins or when you cause something to move into operation. It is interchangeable with synonyms like "commence," though it often sounds more informal and applies broadly to both events and machines.
A surname, from Old English​.
"The START treaty negotiations were finally concluded after years of tense discussions between superpowers."
Acronym of Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
The word "start" comes from Middle English sterten, which originally meant to startle someone. It traveled into modern English with this same sense of causing a sudden shock or fright.