head start

noun

1
: an advantage granted or achieved at the beginning of a race, a chase, or a competition
a 10-minute head start
2
: a favorable or promising beginning

Examples of head start in a Sentence

They gave me a five-minute head start. She took some extra classes to get a head start in her career. His natural athletic talent gave him a head start on his peers.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Even with that enormous head start, decoding the script still took two decades. Sam Kean, The Atlantic, 26 May 2025 To retail and financial services firms, every week’s head start in accelerated delivery translates to millions in market opportunity seized. Sai Sandeep Ogety, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025 White shark migrating north ‘getting a head start’ on shark season Go Slow! Rick Sobey, Hartford Courant, 22 May 2025 Unlike the sound of a car door slamming or the jingle of house keys, the Life360 alert happens earlier, giving four-legged companions a head start to get excited before their favorite human walks through the door. Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for head start

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of head start was in 1859

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Head start.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/head%20start. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

head start

noun
1
: an advantage given to a contestant at the beginning of a race
a five-minute head start
2
: a favorable or promising beginning

More from Merriam-Webster on head start

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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