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
Paramount’s early move gave it a head start in the bidding process weeks before other would-be buyers got access to information.
—
Michelle F. Davis, Fortune, 6 Dec. 2025
That’s allowed more high schoolers to earn college credit, reducing their education costs and giving them a head start on their career goals.
—Miranda Dunlap, jsonline.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Many companies in the humanoid race have a head start over XPENG, backed by decades of research and significantly larger budgets.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Dec. 2025
The final whistle mercifully sounded, and the Snapdragon Stadium crowd – much of which resisted the temptation to get a head start on traffic – stood and honored the expansion club with a heartfelt ovation.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for head start
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.
Michelle F. Davis, Fortune, 6 Dec. 2025
That’s allowed more high schoolers to earn college credit, reducing their education costs and giving them a head start on their career goals.
—Miranda Dunlap, jsonline.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Many companies in the humanoid race have a head start over XPENG, backed by decades of research and significantly larger budgets.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Dec. 2025
The final whistle mercifully sounded, and the Snapdragon Stadium crowd – much of which resisted the temptation to get a head start on traffic – stood and honored the expansion club with a heartfelt ovation.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for head start
Cite this Entry
“Head start.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/head%20start. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share