started

verb

past tense of start
1
as in jumped
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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2
as in founded
to be responsible for the creation and early operation or use of started the impressionist movement in art

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in triggered
to cause to function trying to start the car on a frigid morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in began
to come into existence the fight started when one child tripped the other

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in protruded
to extend outward beyond a usual point frightened horses with starting eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in commenced
to take the first step in (a process or course of action) we'll be ready to start the concert in a moment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 started With incomings, Newcastle’s summer started with a whimper and ended with a bang, a slow-burn of early rejections from high-profile targets which did little to ease a sense of disquiet among supporters. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026 All four celebs started dipping their toes into fall fashion early this year, reaching for fisherman, funnel-neck, and crewneck sweaters while traveling, sipping coffee, and cooking with Ina Garten. — Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 Alex Bregman started August without a three-home-run game in his baseball career. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026 When faced with paying the real cost of AI, a lot of businesses that were extremely bullish immediately started talking about austerity measures. — Jack Holmes, Vanity Fair, 1 Sep. 2026 In Alabama, Brown said lawmakers have started asking about Food is Medicine — a promising sign in a deep-red state. — Lauren Chan, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026 Nicholas returned to the United States soon after, and the couple started the immigration process to bring Irina to America. — Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 What started as replacing lightbulbs and downloading a dimmer app has led to electronic locks, video doorbells and smart thermostats. — Jon Viner, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The family said more calls started coming in after the reward was increased, but the wait for answers continues. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for started
  1. jumped
  2. founded
  3. triggered
  4. began
  5. protruded
  6. commenced
  7. established
  8. activated
Verb
  • The Sox jumped back ahead in the third inning on a Benintendi RBI single.
    — LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The team's official drumline, The Pack, pounded on illuminated drums during quarter breaks, while Skye, the team's sassy, blue-haired lioness mascot, jumped onto the T-shirt cannon to launch souvenir merchandise high into stadium seats.
    — Odette Yousef, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of jumped
Verb
  • The company was founded in Atlanta by Georgia Tech students, and is still headquartered in the city.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Candle True Stories is part of Candle Media, the media holding company co-founded by former Disney execs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of founded
Verb
  • While spoken language might benefit us in myriad ways, no single activity requires it, let alone explains what triggered its ongoing evolution over tens to hundreds of thousands of years.
    — Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • His remarks triggered fierce criticism and prompted Berlin artistic director Tricia Tuttle to publicly defend artists’ right to decide whether or not to speak on political issues.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of triggered
Verb
  • The Procession of Lights on Wednesday began at the People’s Salvation Cathedral, known as the National Cathedral, which is the world’s largest Christian Orthodox church.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Kansas City Royals left-hander Noah Cameron began calling his own pitches on July 24 against the Detroit Tigers.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of began
Verb
  • In several looks, the hips protruded impressively outward, but the silhouette appeared more subtle and somewhat suitable for everyday wear in the label’s delicate camisole tops.
    — Kelly Niesen, Glamour, 24 July 2026
  • The skinny braids wrapped the bottom of the bun, while the thicker braids dressed the top, forming a cylinder shape that protruded from the crown of her head.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 29 June 2026
Definition of protruded
Verb
  • The game commenced with four unanswered scores from Jenks and sloppy play from Southlake Carroll that included a handful of early penalties, messy substitutions and a lack of rhythm.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Cloud service agreements totaled $29 billion, with data center leases not commenced of $25 billion, equity investments of $25 billion, and capital expenditures of $8 billion.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of commenced
Verb
  • Many organizations still default to degree requirements because they’re established and easy to understand.
    — Raghu Krishnaiah, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • To help support Anthropic and OpenAI fund their deployments, Broadcom established a special purpose vehicle (SPV) platform in partnership with Apollo and Blackstone to facilitate more than 20 GW of compute infrastructure by the end of 2028.
    — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of established
Verb
  • When that temperature surpassed 86 degrees, the roofs would be activated and players would be granted a ten-minute stoppage.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Guided Vision will be available in the system Accessibility shortcuts and can also be activated from the TalkBack menu.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of activated

Browse Nearby Words

start
started
starter
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Cite this Entry

“Started.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/started. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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