start 1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈstärt How to pronounce start (audio)
Definition of startnext
1
as in to begin
to come into existence the fight started when one child tripped the other

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2
as in to commence
to take the first step in (a process or course of action) we'll be ready to start the concert in a moment

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3
as in to establish
to be responsible for the creation and early operation or use of started the impressionist movement in art

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4
as in to activate
to cause to function trying to start the car on a frigid morning

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5
as in to jump
to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise) I started from my chair when I heard the sudden scream

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6
as in to protrude
to extend outward beyond a usual point frightened horses with starting eyes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

start

2 of 3

noun

as in beginning
the point at which something begins knew from the start of the game that he would win easily

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started

3 of 3

verb (2)

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

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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

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

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

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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word start different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of start are begin, commence, inaugurate, initiate, and usher in. While all these words mean "to take the first step in a course, process, or operation," start, opposed to stop, applies especially to first actions, steps, or stages.

the work started slowly

How is begin related to other words for start?

Begin, start, and commence are often interchangeable, with begin, opposed to end, being the most general.

begin a trip
began dancing

How does the word commence relate to other synonyms for start?

Commence can be more formal or bookish than begin or start.

commence firing
commenced a conversation

When could inaugurate be used to replace start?

The meanings of inaugurate and start largely overlap; however, inaugurate suggests a beginning of some formality or notion of significance.

the discovery of penicillin inaugurated a new era in medicine

In what contexts can initiate take the place of start?

Although the words initiate and start have much in common, initiate implies taking a first step in a process or series that is to continue.

initiated diplomatic contacts

How are the words usher in and inaugurate related as synonyms of start?

Usher in is somewhat less weighty than inaugurate.

ushered in a period of economic decline

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
To improve chances of a timely reply, patients should start messages by greeting their doctor by name, ideally including both first and last names. — Paul Hsieh, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026 And then Joe Milton started putting it together and had two outstanding preseason games. — Jon MacHota, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Noun
Let’s examine players off to great starts to the high school football season. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Ahead of the official start of the US Open, a flurry of fetes took place across New York City. — Paul Chi, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026
Verb
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 See All Example Sentences for start
Recent Examples of Synonyms for start
  1. begin
  2. commence
  3. establish
  4. activate
  5. jump
  6. protrude
  7. beginning
  8. originate
Verb
  • As Georgia’s college campuses are bustling with students again, this edition of the AJC On Campus roundup begins with a $250,000 settlement.
    — Jason Armesto, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • According to the federal indictment, Castro told an FBI agent that a man grabbed a red broom off a front porch and began hitting him with it while Castro was trying to detain another man outside a Minneapolis home.
    — Valerie Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of begin
Verb
  • The program picked four international applicants out of nearly 1,000 for a six-month fellowship commencing this month in London along with a cash prize of £10,000 ($13,480) each.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • This week, London’s Serpentine Galleries announced the launch of a six-month fellowship program, commencing in September, that will award four artists working with artificial intelligence grants of £10,000.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of commence
Verb
  • Its immediate goal is to establish pilot-scale production while continuing to develop partnerships across the fusion and advanced nuclear industries.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Once an account is established, parents, guardians, grandparents and others can also contribute up to $5,000 per year until the year before the beneficiary turns 18.
    — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of establish
Verb
  • 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
  • China has activated the third generating unit at the Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station in Sichuan Province, bringing all three units in the first phase into operation.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of activate
Verb
  • As one social media analyst put it, Ziyu couldn't jump over a piece of paper.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Even with an 11,500-seat capacity, revenue for the club jumped 260 per cent in the stadium’s inaugural year.
    — Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of jump
Verb
  • Anything that protrudes above the shallow, insulating snow cover is more prone to being damaged by the cold and wind or eaten by wildlife, said plant ecologist Anne Bjorkman of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Other animals on-site include a stable full of horses and Cowboy the tortoise, who is about the size of a lawnmower and whose head protrudes from what looks like a Venus flytrap made of bone.
    — Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of protrude
Noun
  • The question that matters most A famous name should be the beginning of the conversation, not the end of it.
    — Jason St. Angelo, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The new findings indicate that last year’s increases were a momentary surge, rather than the beginning of a positive trend.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of beginning
Verb
  • The country's armed forces said that it was targeted by a missile attack that originated from Iranian territory.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • More broadly, the open-source movement has made robust design systems available beyond the organizations that originated them.
    — Goran Paun, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of originate

Phrases Containing start

Browse Nearby Words

star-spangled
start
started
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Cite this Entry

“Start.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/start. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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