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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While no two crises are alike, customizable frameworks for press releases, social media posts, internal updates and stakeholder memos give teams a valuable head start. Nicole Tidei, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025 In this way, Robson challenged himself, but also gave himself a head start. George Caulkin, New York Times, 7 July 2025 With two greenhouses, the organization gets a head start on growing tomatoes and zucchinis as the window for planting these crops approaches, while other patches grow everything from corn, squash and blueberries to flowers. Ruben Montoya, The Tennessean, 4 July 2025 Get a head start on amazing savings with this incredible pre-Prime Day deal on the Nikon Z6 II with 24-70mm f/4 lens. Harry Bennett, Space.com, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for head start

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of head start was in 1859

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Head start.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/head%20start. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on head start

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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