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

Moreover, winter cold will damage the foliage, so get a head start on your spring garden clean-up by cutting back the plant in the fall. — Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 22 Sep. 2026

So let’s grant the tortoise a head start, Zeno declared—say, a hundred yards. — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

OpenAI’s advances have a head start here because, like many other recent AI math breakthroughs, the proofs came with a formal write-up in a proof assistant language called Lean. — Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026

Longtin got a head start last season, when he was forced into action in multiple games while Zdon dealt with injuries. — Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 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