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

an intentionally provocative comment that was supposed to jump-start the discussion
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Meanwhile, Democrats who opposed a floor vote last week that jump-started the appropriations process sounded unlikely to help expedite Senate passage without concessions of their own. David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 29 July 2025 In an effort to jump-start an economy that had ground to a halt during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve brought borrowing rates down to near-zero. Ben Christopher, Mercury News, 29 July 2025 But in his first full minor league season in 2024, Karros jump-started a breakout campaign with a walk-off homer for High-A Spokane. Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 25 July 2025 President Kennedy’s aspirations to land a man on the moon jump-started American science dominance education in the 1960s, which necessarily rested, in part, on the fundamentals of Darwin’s evolutionary theory. Randall Balmer, Twin Cities, 23 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for jump-start

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

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Cite this Entry

“Jump-start.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jump-start. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.

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