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

By the time officials discovered the breach, the inmates, who range in age from 24 to 31, had a four-hour head start on authorities, Atkins said. —Nic Anderson, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025

But an oral pill for obesity from Novo Nordisk will likely enter the market first, giving the Danish drugmaker a head start in staking its claim in the space. —Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2025

Their head start on roster planning for 2026 is going rather well, at least. —CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025

The absence of a supernova blast means these black holes can still have masses thousands of times that of the sun, which would give them a major head start in supermassive black hole growth. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 15 Dec. 2025

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