- [countable, usually singular] the point at which something begins
- If we don't hurry, we'll miss the start.
- They haven't won since the start of the season.
- at the start (of something) Things didn't look too hopeful at the start of the year.
- from the start We've had problems right from the start.
- We've had problems from the very start.
- The trip was a disaster from start to finish.
- a… start to something a perfect start to the day
- After a slow start to his career, things improved.
- The campaign is off to a promising start.
- a shaky/rocky start
- (informal) This could be the start of something big.
Extra Examples- They lived here before the start of the war.
- Temperatures were cooler at the start of the week.
- We make an estimate at the start and revise it later.
- How many more weeks until the start of term?
- She makes a brief appearance near the start of the film.
- Next week sees the start of the trial of four suspects in the bombing.
- September marks the start of Berlin's annual art festival.
- A rooster crows, symbolically signaling the start of the day.
- These environmental changes could herald the start of a new Ice Age.
- The start was delayed by bad weather.
- After a shaky start, it went on to become a hit show.
- The plot gets off to a rather slow start.
- Things got off to a bad start when I forgot to bring the lunch.
- I forgot his name, which wasn't a good start.
- Despite a bright start, Liverpool lost the match.
- Despite a promising start, we lost the game.
- This is a thoroughly good book from start to finish.
- At the very start of the movie we are told that his mother is dead.
- From the very start of the campaign he stressed its inclusive nature.
- Right from the start I knew this was a bad idea.
- She felt at home in her new job right from the start.
- Everyone was in a conciliatory mood at the start of the meeting.
- He joined the team prior to the start of the season.
- The company got off to an impressive start this year.
- Higher sales were predicted after a promising start to the year.
- An obvious typo on page one makes a bad start to the book.
- The team made a great comeback after a disastrous start to the tournament.
- The fine winter weather heralded a good start to the year.
- The project was doomed from the start.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- auspicious
- bright
- decent
- …
- make
- get off to
- herald
- …
- date
- time
- button
- …
- at the start (of)
- from the start
- prior to the start
- …
- be doomed from the start
- from start to finish
Definitions on the go
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- [countable, usually singular] the act or process of beginning something
- We need to get an early start in the morning.
- start on something I'll paint the ceiling if you make a start on the walls.
- She's moving abroad to make a fresh start (= to begin a new life).
- I think it's time we made a start.
- It's not much, but it's a start (= something useful has been done, although there is a lot more still to do).
Extra Examples- Unless I make a start, I'll never write this book.
- Let's make a start.
- Just pick the most urgent task and make a start on it now.
- There's a long way to go, but he's made a very encouraging start.
- This will make a start on paying off the mortgage.
- The authorities are making a start in dealing with the scourge of illegal drugs.
- He wanted to go to England and make a new start for his family.
- It's a time for new beginnings, for fresh starts.
- An early start is important if you want to avoid the traffic.
- I hope we can get a good start to the game and play really well.
- New housing starts (= the number of new housing projects) slowed at the end of the year.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- auspicious
- bright
- decent
- …
- make
- get off to
- herald
- …
- date
- time
- button
- …
- at the start (of)
- from the start
- prior to the start
- …
- be doomed from the start
- from start to finish
- [countable, usually singular] the opportunity that you are given to begin something in a successful way
- Many critics got their start writing for this magazine.
- Moving to a different school gave Sally a fresh start.
- start in something They worked hard to give their children a good start in life.
- The job gave him his start in journalism.
Extra ExamplesTopics Successb2- The Amato Theater is a place where opera performers get their start.
- The modern fair trade movement got its start in Europe.
- The DJ got his start as a teenaged janitor at Capitol Records.
- He got his start in the music business in the early 1990s.
- How did you get your start in politics?
- I feel for young people coming out of college and trying to get a start in the world.
- We aim to give every child the best start possible.
- This was a way for me to give these guys a good start in the business.
- She gave me my start as a performer.
- That was my start as a professional athlete.
- The children have overcome their difficult start in life.
- He didn't have the easiest of starts, but he has done incredibly well.
- the start[singular] the place where a race begins
- The runners lined up at the start.
- The runners walked up to the start line.
- [countable, usually singular] an amount of time or distance that somebody has as an advantage over other people at the beginning of a race
- I gave the younger children a start.
- start on somebody She went into the second round with a five-minute start on the rest of the cyclists.
- [countable, usually plural] (sport) an occasion when somebody/something competes in a race or competition, or when somebody is a member of a team that starts a game
- She has been beaten only once in six starts.
- He has scored three goals in his last three starts.
- [countable, usually singular] an act of moving your body quickly and suddenly because you are surprised, afraid, etc.
- You gave me quite a start!
- with a start She woke from the dream with a start.
beginning
opportunity
in race
sudden movement
Word OriginOld English styrtan ‘to caper, leap’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch storten ‘push’ and German stürzen ‘fall headlong, fling’. From the sense ‘sudden movement’ arose the sense ‘initiation of movement, setting out on a journey’ and hence ‘beginning of a process, etc.’.
Idioms
See start in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee start in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishby/in fits and starts | in stops and starts
- frequently starting and stopping again; not continuously
- Because of other commitments I can only write my book in fits and starts.
for a start
- (informal) used to emphasize the first of a list of reasons, opinions, etc.
- I'm not working there—for a start, it's too far to travel.
from a standing start
- (used about beginning a project or task) from an initial position in which none of the necessary elements are in place
- The space project went from a standing start to the moon in ten years.
get off to a flying start | get off to a flyer
- to make a very good start; to begin something well
- She’s got off to a flying start in her new career.
Check pronunciation:
start