give a start
idiom
: to move suddenly and quickly from surprise or fright : to jump
She gave a start when he tapped her on the shoulder.
Examples of give a start in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Few young people: half-dead to give a start.
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Mckenzie Sadeghi, USA TODAY, 14 May 2020
Mckenzie Sadeghi, USA TODAY, 14 May 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'give a start.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Cite this Entry
“Give a start.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%20a%20start. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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