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

That of course is the bare bones premise of just the first game in the franchise, and explaining the identity of the true villain is where your head starts to spin. — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026

Cheng Chia Huang | Getty Images Nvidia’s massive head start in artificial intelligence turned the chipmaker into the world’s most valuable company. — Ari Levy, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026

The Five Skills Experienced Workers Already Have People who learned their craft before generative AI arrived have a head start. — Andy Molinsky, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Setting a digital reminder one week prior to these dates gives you a crucial head start to book a babysitter before the neighborhood high schoolers are completely cleared out! — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 16 Aug. 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