head start

Definition of head start

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 China, which got a head start on the recovery, is expected to log growth of 1%, in part due to policy support from the government. — Julia Horowitz, CNN, "The recession is much worse than the IMF expected and the hit to jobs 'catastrophic'," 24 June 2020 This countrified take on a traditional quiche gets a good head start by using the ratatouille above as the main filling. — Beth Segal, cleveland, "Veggies galore: The joy of meatless meals," 23 June 2020 Doors opened early to give fans a head start on getting their parking area set up. — al, "Alan Jackson goes country with Alabama drive-in concert," 13 June 2020 After scores of high school seniors upended their daily lives this winter, graduating in December to get a head start on college football workouts and academic courses, their new routines endured more disruption just weeks later. — Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, "High school sports during the coronavirus pandemic: The Dallas Morning News’ best stories, all in one place," 7 June 2020 Indiana had an 11-day head start on Kentucky, one restaurant owners in New Albany have embraced to varying degrees. — Lindsey Mcclave, The Courier-Journal, "New Albany restaurateur says it was 'disappointing' Indiana reopened restaurants so early," 2 June 2020 Also, this novel coronavirus is similar to the first SARS virus, so that may give researchers a head start. — Matt Simon, Wired, "Why Creating a Covid-19 Vaccine Is Taking So Long," 20 May 2020 The chain had long had a catalog business, which gave it a head start. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, "J.C. Penney faces a tough road ahead as it mulls bankruptcy protection," 15 May 2020 If Virginia's first phase begins as anticipated on May 15, restaurants on one side of State Street, like Delta Blues, will have had an 18-day head start on dining service, over restaurants like Burger Bar on the other side of the street. — Natasha Chen, CNN, "A tale of two Bristols: How two states' reopening plans have one town caught in the middle," 11 May 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'head start.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

29 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Head start.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/head%20start. Accessed 11 Jul. 2020.

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