What does "start" mean?

1. (to begin an activity) to begin doing something or to happen from a certain time. 2. (to make a machine work) to make a car, engine, or machine begin to operate. 3. (to jump from surprise) to move your body suddenly because you are surprised or scared. 4. (the beginning) the point in time or the place where something begins. 5. (an advantage) an advantage that you have at the beginning of a competition. 6. (a young plant) a small, young plant that is ready to be moved into a garden. 7. (a sudden movement) a sudden, nervous movement of the body.

start — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I will start to working tomorrow."?

No — say "I will start working tomorrow.". After 'start', use either the -ing form or the 'to' infinitive, but do not mix them.

Word

01to begin an activity

A1 · Beginner

v. to begin doing something or to happen from a certain time.

v. to begin an action, state, or process; functions as an ergative verb taking either a gerund or an infinitive.

“We should start the meeting now because everyone has arrived.”

“The research team decided to start the clinical trials earlier than planned to capitalise on the recent breakthrough in laboratory testing.”

Pitfall

I will start to working tomorrow.

I will start working tomorrow.

After 'start', use either the -ing form or the 'to' infinitive, but do not mix them.

Synonyms

begin commence initiate

Antonyms

finish stop end

02to make a machine work

A2 · Elementary

v. to make a car, engine, or machine begin to operate.

v. to cause a machine, engine, or electronic device to begin operating.

“The car wouldn't start this morning because the battery was dead.”

“Despite the freezing temperatures, the backup generator started immediately when the main power grid failed during the storm.”

Synonyms

activate igniteturn on

Antonyms

stop kill

03to jump from surprise

B2 · Upper Intermediate Literary

v. to move your body suddenly because you are surprised or scared.

v. to make a sudden involuntary movement of the body, typically caused by surprise, fear, or pain.

“She started when the door suddenly slammed shut behind her.”

“The protagonist started at the sound of a floorboard creaking in the hallway, his heart racing in the absolute silence of the library.”

Synonyms

jump jerk twitch

04the beginning

A1 · Beginner Countable noun

n. the point in time or the place where something begins.

n. the point in time or space at which something has its origin or beginning.

“The start of the movie was much better than the ending.”

“From the start of the negotiations, it was clear that neither party was willing to compromise on the core environmental clauses.”

Synonyms

beginning outset commencement

Antonyms

end finish

05an advantage

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Sports

n. an advantage that you have at the beginning of a competition.

n. an initial advantage granted to a participant in a competition or task; often used in the phrase 'head start'.

“The younger children were given a ten-meter start in the race.”

“By completing the preparatory reading over the summer, she gained a significant start on her classmates before the semester even began.”

Synonyms

advantage lead

Antonyms

handicap

06a young plant

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Horticulture American English · Technical

n. a small, young plant that is ready to be moved into a garden.

n. a seedling or young plant that has been germinated in a controlled environment for later transplantation.

“I bought some tomato starts at the local market to plant this weekend.”

“The nursery provides high-quality vegetable starts that are already hardened off and ready for immediate outdoor cultivation.”

Synonyms

seedling shoot

07a sudden movement

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. a sudden, nervous movement of the body.

n. a sudden involuntary physical reaction or jerk, often associated with waking or being startled.

“He woke up with a start after having a bad dream.”

“She sat up with a sudden start, momentarily disoriented by the unfamiliar shadows in the hotel room.”

Synonyms

jerk spasm

From Middle English stert, from the verb sterten (“to start, startle”). See below.

From Middle English sterten (“to leap up suddenly, rush out”), from Old English styrtan (“to leap up, start”), from Proto-West Germanic sturtijan (“to startle, move, set in motion”), from Proto-Indo-European (s)ter- (“to be stiff”). Cognate with Old Frisian stirta (“to fall down, tumble”), Middle Dutch sterten (“to rush, fall, collapse”) (Dutch storten), Old High German sturzen (“to hurl, plunge, turn upside down”) (German stürzen), Old High German sterzan (“to be stiff, protrude”). More at stare.

From Middle English stert, start (“tail, handle, projection”), from Old English steort (“tail”), from Proto-West Germanic stert, from Proto-Germanic stertaz (“tail”). Cognate with Scots start, stairt (“side post, shaft, upright post”), Dutch staart (“tail”), German Sterz (“tail, handle”), Danish stjert (“tail of a bird”), Faroese stertur (“tail”), Icelandic stertur (“short horse tail”), Norn skjårt (“tail”), sterti (“tail of a large fish”), stjårt (“tail of a large fish”), Norwegian stjert (“tail of a bird”), Swedish stjärt (“tail, arse”).

Variant of stark.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

start(A2)

NOUN

PHRASAL VERB