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

Get a head start on the growing season. —Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 7 Jan. 2026

Rihanna is getting a head start on Valentine's Day with her new campaign for her brand, Savage x Fenty. —Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 6 Jan. 2026

Oldacre was then slow to recover from an ankle injury this past summer, which gave Cunningham a head start in that position battle. —Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 4 Jan. 2026

The Giants’ and Titans’ head start The two franchises already with openings, the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans, will begin remote interviews next week with candidates whose teams are out of the playoffs, with formal interview requests set to be submitted Monday. —Dianna Russini, New York Times, 3 Jan. 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