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as in to jump
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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start

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noun

starting

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adjective

starting

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verb (2)

present participle of start
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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
In 1982, a series of women’s and girls’ bodies started to appear in the fields near Route 99 in Washington. Emma Alpern, Vulture, 28 Jan. 2025 Jimenez-Rico’s family had just returned home from a trip to Mexico when his dad and sister, 22-year-old Jocelyn Jimenez, started criticizing him about dirty dishes, according to records obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2025
Noun
As of Monday, data from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) show that despite the abnormally dry start to winter for Southern California, most of the state's major reservoirs are performing above average for this time of year. Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025 Reid got off to a fast start Saturday night for the host Bulldogs, scoring eight of his team-high 16 points in the first quarter of a cliffhanger 53-47 loss to Burlington Central. Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025
Verb
Perhaps Finch is leaning on a couple of recent games against high-caliber competition for optimism about his starting five. Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025 Pickett is active but not starting, meaning Tanner McKee gets an opportunity to make his first NFL start. Adam Gretz, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for start 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for start
Noun
  • The legal challenge comes just days before the beginning of Black History Month in a state that was the center of the Civil Rights Movement.
    Russell Contreras, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025
  • Said to be the original influencer, the documentary shows her rise from humble beginnings to Wall Street trader to homemaking entrepreneurial queen.
    Jeffrey Edell, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Trump was last year ordered to pay Carroll $5 million after an initial lawsuit.
    Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
  • The initial report from the Senior Bowl is also derived from the in-person meetings that players are allowed to have with teams.
    Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • On Thursday, Trinity Gas Storage announced commencement of operations at its 24 bcf (billion cubic feet) storage unit located near Carthage in East Texas, about 160 miles southeast of Dallas.
    David Blackmon, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
  • In theory, TikTok could announce the commencement of negotiations with a potential buyer and urge President Joe Biden to grant the 90-day extension before the ban takes effect, experts said.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • But opinions on this issue have actually remained pretty consistently in favor of the Paris agreement since its inception: 62 percent of Americans were opposed when Trump withdrew from it for the first time back in 2017, and the same share supported Biden's decision to rejoin in 2021.
    Mary Radcliffe, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2025
  • More meme coins have emerged since the inception of fartcoin.
    Yun Li,Jesse Pound, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Both of their first court appearances are scheduled for Saturday morning, jail records show.
    Silas Morgan, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Mississippi became the first state in the southeastern U.S. to confirm CWD in its wild deer in 2018, and the disease has spread to six other states in the region since then, most recently in North Carolina.
    Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 24 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • For example, the American Cancer Society reports that early onset colorectal cancer cases in adults younger than 50 grew by 2.4% each year from 2012-2021.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025
  • But from the onset, the second-oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere after the United States was beset by armed conflict, foreign interventions, repressive dictators, political violence, and heads of state whose personal ambitions and desire for power fanned instability and revolts.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Here’s to the week ahead, and don’t hesitate to reach out with comments, questions, feedback, joy, or news of a rocket launch in your future.
    Peter Green, Quartz, 19 Jan. 2025
  • The meme coin’s developers have limited the supply of $TRUMP to 200 million coins at launch before expanding the overall supply to 1 billion over the next three years, according to the coin’s website.
    Ty Roush, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near start

Cite this Entry

“Start.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/start. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

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