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

took some extra classes to get a head start in college

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

The first wave of films will give industry voters a head start on watching movies for consideration for the upcoming Academy Awards. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 10 June 2026

While the sale officially starts on Tuesday, June 23, Amazon has already begun rolling out early discounts, giving shoppers a head start on some of the season's most popular products. —Casey Delbasso, ABC News, 9 June 2026

Anyone trying to open one for the first time on Friday afternoon was paying 3x the premium for protection that already had a head start. —Nishant Pant, CNBC, 9 June 2026

Bell, beyond his film study, already has a head start. —Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 June 2026

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