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

What to read next Poplawski thinks that by gobbling up antimatter, primordial black holes could have gotten a head start on these growth processes. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026

The plan was to get a head start by crashing at a motel in Truckee the night before our big Monday. —Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Mar. 2026

The sales teams get a nice head start each year care of the official NCAA sponsors, who collectively account for around 50% of all in-game ad buys. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Mar. 2026

To get a head start on this discussion, check out our article about the most dangerous scams to avoid this year. —Kim Key, PC Magazine, 19 Mar. 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