start Meaning, definition in Cambridge English Dictionary
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Meaning of "start" - English Dictionary

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uk   /stɑːt/  us   /stɑːrt/

start verb (BEGIN)

A1 [I or T] to begin doing something: When do you start your course/your new job? We'll be starting (the session) at six o'clock. Can you start (= begin a new job) on Monday? [+ -ing verb] They started building the house in January. [+ to infinitive] I'd just started to write a letter when the phone rang.B2 [I or T] (also start up) If a business or other organization starts, or if someone starts one, it is created and starts to operate: She started her own software company. A lot of new restaurants have started up in the region.B1 [I or T] to begin to happen or to make something begin to happen: A new series of wildlife programmes has started on Monday evenings. Police believe the fire was started by arsonists.A1 [I or T] to begin a set of activities with the thing or person mentioned: The speaker started with a description of her journey to China. Give me your answers one by one, starting with Lucy. You could start by weeding the flowerbeds. He started his working life as an engineer but later became a teacher. [I] informal to begin to complain or be annoying in some way: Don't start - we're not going and that's that!informal "It would help if Richard did some work." "Oh, don't get me started on Richard!"get started to begin: When can we get started?start a family to have your first childstart something to begin an argument or a fight: You could tell the guy wanted to start something, so we just walked away.start work to begin being employed: He started work at 16 in a local start with B2 at the beginning, or as the first of several things: We only knew two people in Montreal to start with, but we soon made friends. To start with, we need better computers - then we need more training.
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start verb (FIRST POINT)

[I usually + adv/prep] to begin at one point and then move to another, in distance or range: The bus starts at/from the main depot. We'll need to start (off/out) early because the journey takes six hours. Tell me what happened - start at the beginning. Ticket prices start at/from €80 and go up to €500.

start verb (MOVE SUDDENLY)

[I] to move your body suddenly because something has surprised or frightened you: He started at the sound of the phone.

start verb (WORK)

B2 [I or T] (also start up) to (cause to) begin to work or operate: I'm having trouble starting the car. The engine won't start.


uk   /stɑːt/  us   /stɑːrt/

start noun (BEGINNING)

B1 [S] the beginning of something: We were doubtful about the product's usefulness from the start. They announced the start of a new commercial venture. The weather was good at the start (= in the first part) of the week. The event got off to a shaky/poor start with the stage lights failing in the first few minutes.C2 [C] the act of beginning to do something: We need to make a start on (preparing) the brochure next week.from start to finish C1 including all of something, from the beginning to the end: The whole course was a disaster from start to finish.for a start C1 UK first, or as the first in a set of things: We'll take names and phone numbers for a start, then later on we can get more details.
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start noun (ADVANTAGE)

C2 [S] an advantage that you have over someone else when you begin something: We gave the youngest children a five-second start (= in a race).

start noun (SUDDEN MOVEMENT)

[S] a sudden movement of the body that you make when something has surprised or frightened you: He woke with a start. She gave a start as I entered.
(Definition of start from the Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
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