jump-started; jump-starting; jump-starts

transitive verb

1
: to start (an engine or vehicle) by temporary connection to an external power source (such as another vehicle's battery)
2
a
: to start or restart (something) rapidly or forcefully
advertising can jump-start a political campaign
b
: to impart fresh or renewed energy to (something) : energize
a plan to jump-start the stagnant economy
jump start noun

Examples of jump-start in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The determination will also enable the city to jump-start its $33-million landslide remediation project, which has been in development since 2016 but remained months away from clearing final environmental reviews. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 The foundation is asking Cincinnati City Council for $410,000 to help jump-start a fundraising campaign. The Enquirer, 25 Feb. 2024 Twitter had never been profitable in its ten-year existence, and turning a profit suddenly became a top priority to win back investors and hopefully jump-start the stock price. Kurt Wagner, Fortune, 21 Feb. 2024 Randy Sparks, a creative impresario whose musical ensemble, the New Christy Minstrels, helped to jump-start the folk revival of the early 1960s and launched the careers of performers like John Denver, Steve Martin and Kenny Rogers, died on Sunday at an assisted-living facility in San Diego. Clay Risen, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 Medical personnel rushed in and tried to jump-start her heart using a defibrillator and life-saving medications, according to a state inspection document and an internal staffing report. Liz Kowalczyk and Felice J. Freyer — Boston Globe, STAT, 15 Feb. 2024 Patzer pushed for 15 years to jump-start the data collection process but said she was stymied by red tape. Ben Tanen, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024 Last week, an Apple executive who helped jump-start the Apple car project left for the electric-car company Rivian. Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 3 Feb. 2024 Campus aims to solve a problem common among community colleges, which are supposed to provide a pathway for students to transfer to a four-year college or jump-start their career. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jump-start.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of jump-start was in 1973

Dictionary Entries Near jump-start

Cite this Entry

“Jump-start.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jump-start. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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