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

October Prime Day sale is right around the corner with exclusive deals for the holidays, giving Michigan shoppers the opportunity to get a head start on holiday shopping. —Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Best Early Prime Day Toy Deals The holidays are only a few months away, so get a head start on your shopping list. —Katrina Cossey, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025

Human contractors still must review and sign off on the details, but QikBIM gives everyone a healthy head start. —Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

As with almost all sectors, abundant engineering talent, supply-chain advantages, and innovative use cases have given Chinese LiDAR manufacturers a head start in the race to democratize the once-expensive tool. —Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for head start

• apart
• depart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• rampart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart
• upstart

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