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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

started

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verb (2)

past tense 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
When The Mind Wants Progress, But The Body Protests Consider the experience of starting a new job. Inga Bielińska, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025 As the Pentagon was opening up, Palmer Luckey got fired from Facebook and started Anduril. Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
Noun
Teenage phenoms striker Mary Long, daughter of Current owners Angie and Chris Long, and right back Katie Scott got their first professional starts and played the entire match. Kansas City Star, 13 July 2025 The aging rock outfit — credited as one of the inventors of heavy metal — played to tens of thousands of fans in Birmingham, England, where the group got its start. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Verb
That’s quite a feat for a team that started playing football in 1925. Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024 The cold of the night had returned, and the baby had started to shiver. Karen Zautyk, New York Daily News, 24 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for start
Recent Examples of Synonyms for start
Noun
  • They are required at the beginning of 8th grade, and staff must collaborate with students and their families to create and review the plans annually.
    Jean Eddy, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • Bloc Party appeared on NPR Tiny Desk for the first time with a career-spanning set that goes back to the very beginning.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • In a joint commencement speech with Murty at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (where the couple first met back in 2004), Sunak told graduates that key to finding success is being adept at both what the data and own instinct is telling you.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 9 July 2025
  • Police say Rodney Hinton Jr. struck the deputy with his car May 1 as the deputy was directing traffic for the University of Cincinnati commencement.
    Erin Glynn, The Enquirer, 3 July 2025
Noun
  • Although wolves have been a symbol of Rome since its inception, by the 1970s only around 100 wolves remained in all of Italy, and none in the capital.
    Krista Langlois, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2025
  • Outperforming Without The Hype The DBS Barbell Strategy has consistently outperformed its peers since its inception.
    DBS Private Bank, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply-chain disruptions contributed to a 25% spike in import prices (see chart).
    Nick Sargen, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • To Reveal Cancer Cells The Good Life: This Viral Pharmacist Says Sunscreen Isn't Enough This Summer Psychedelic Drug May Slow Aging In boys, sucralose stood out as the most significant sweetener associated with early puberty onset.
    Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025
Noun
  • The preliminary phase of construction includes substantial soil treatment and complex ground preparation at the north portal, where construction of the launch structure for the tunnel boring machine (TBM) is intended to begin in autumn 2026.
    Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 July 2025
  • This year is full of fresh beginnings in fashion, with new creative directors presenting launch collections at some of Milan and Paris’s biggest brands.
    Vogue, Vogue, 6 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Start.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/start. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.

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