starting 1 of 2

adjective

as in beginning

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starting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of start
1
as in jumping
to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise) I started from my chair when I heard the sudden scream

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in establishing
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 activating
to cause to function trying to start the car on a frigid morning

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

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in launching
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

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 starting
Adjective
Antonacci stood out as the team’s sparkplug, but was not in the starting lineup for two of the ALDS games. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026 Stewart rejoined teammates this week and was in the starting lineup Saturday. — ABC News, 10 Oct. 2026 The Heat went with a starting lineup of Donaldson, Larsson, Fontecchio, Jovic and Richards for Saturday’s exhibition. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026 The Hawks continue to test out different lineups, moving Aaron Wiggins into the starting lineup in place of Jalen Johnson (rest). — Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026 McDowell, who was in the starting lineup for his Demon Deacons debut, hit 3 of 8 shots versus Georgetown. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2026 If either misses significant time, Barron could move into a starting role alongside Abrams-Draine. — Sam Jane, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026 Jayden Daniels could be ready for Week 5 Jayden Daniels’ return to the starting lineup could be just one week away. — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 The starting lineup for the Fever just couldn't get much going. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
Moody's, citing PitchBook data, said private equity distributions dropped from more than 30% of starting net asset value in 2022 to about 12% today. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 Plasma will fully adopt the Wayland system and put support for starting new X11 sessions in Plasma to bed. — ArsTechnica, 15 Oct. 2026 Starting running back Saquon Barkley and starting receiver DeVonta Smith both didn’t practice Wednesday because of hamstring injuries. — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026 McVay is confident David Quessenberry can be effective taking over a starting role at left tackle in the wake of Alaric Jackson’s one-game suspension. — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 The Brady Protocol is available starting today at any Aescape location, including at its partners such as Four Seasons, Equinox, Marriott, and more. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2026 Researchers have described this trend of increasing lung cancer rates among women in different parts of the world and are starting to understand why cases are on the rise. — Estelamari Rodriguez, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026 Subscribers can purchase tickets at the lowest available prices with payment plans starting at $1 down. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Now our phones are starting to look for what happens after the conversation begins. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starting
  1. beginning
  2. jumping
  3. establishing
  4. activating
  5. commencing
  6. protruding
  7. launching
  8. initial
Adjective
  • After his beginning years in the cafe, Trygar has since moved to the maintenance department and has been responsible for taking care some of Kennywood's iconic rides like the Racer, the Log Jammer, and the Merry Go Round.
    — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 7 May 2026
  • The band joins Yellowcard for the Up Up Down Down Tour, a 27-date spring outing with Plain White T’s beginning May 6 in Atlanta and concluding June 20 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
    — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 21 Feb. 2026
Definition of beginning
Verb
  • We were all riveted by the image of a glass of red wine undisturbed by a woman jumping next to it on the bed and the idea of sleeping on memory foam originally developed by NASA, now available to us.
    — Jaklin Romine Oct. 15, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Shares are jumping Thursday as part of the market’s rotation into defensive names.
    — Alexa LoMonaco,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of jumping
Verb
  • For a government overseeing a population dominated by mobile expats, that created a lot of uncertainty in terms of establishing an economic base that can support a welfare system and basic state infrastructure.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Noah Clowney has flashed as a floor-spacing big without establishing himself over a full season.
    — C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of establishing
Verb
  • Semaglutide mimics its activity by activating GLP-1 receptors in the body.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The protease partially pulls a proton off the water molecule, activating it to attack and break up the peptide bond.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of activating
Verb
  • The film will shoot on location at the heart of Pendle in Lancashire, with principal photography commencing end of September.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The fourth-round tie will not be played until the week commencing October 26.
    — Simon Johnson, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of commencing
Verb
  • The 10-month-old boy had a deep puncture wound in his upper chest area, while the 3-year-old girl had an inner organ protruding out of a chest-area wound.
    — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • When a switch is at rest, a protruding piece of the plastic stem keeps the switch’s two leaves from making contact.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of protruding
Verb
  • The company crossed $1 million in revenue just 12 months after launching its stream in May 2025.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The Tesla team put those thrusters to work multiple times during the presentation, at one point launching the Roadster over a line of six vehicles, including a Tesla semi-truck cab.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of launching
Adjective
  • When no one responds to the initial greeting, the caller tries again.
    — Sam Corbin, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • In the case of 3/1, 5/1 and 7/1 ARMs — three very common types — the initial term is three, five and seven years, respectively.
    — Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of initial

Browse Nearby Words

starters
starting
startle
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Cite this Entry

“Starting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starting. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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