Synonyms of started

started

verb

past tense of start

1

as in jumped

to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise)

I started from my chair when I heard the sudden scream

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jumped
• leaped
• cringed
• winced
• startled
• bolted
• flinched
• jerked
• twitched
• reacted
• responded
• sprang
• recoiled
• spooked
• jolted
• shrank
• bounded
• blenched
• quailed
• squinched

2

as in founded

to be responsible for the creation and early operation or use of

started the impressionist movement in art

Synonyms & Similar Words

• founded
• established
• initiated
• pioneered
• introduced
• launched
• began
• created
• instituted
• inaugurated
• planted
• constituted
• originated
• organized
• constructed
• innovated
• developed
• invented
• set up
• devised
• authored
• produced
• conceived
• thought (up)
• manufactured
• expanded
• made up
• funded
• concocted
• cooked (up)
• financed
• enlarged
• fathered
• contrived
• arranged
• fabricated
• endowed
• subsidized
• relaunched
• systematized
• reinitiated
• reinstituted
• put up
• systemized
• refounded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• closed (down)
• shut (up)
• stopped
• finished
• ended
• abolished
• terminated
• halted
• phased out
• nullified
• annulled
• annihilated
• rounded (off or out)
• wrapped up
• wound up

3

as in triggered

to cause to function

trying to start the car on a frigid morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

• triggered
• activated
• sparked
• drove
• moved
• powered
• generated
• fueled
• ignited
• ran
• set off
• provoked
• pushed
• turned on
• touched off
• actuated
• charged
• launched
• cranked (up)
• fired
• switched
• electrified
• released
• stimulated
• energized
• turned over
• excited
• reactivated
• discharged
• accelerated
• tripped
• instigated
• aroused
• kick-started
• kicked over
• incited
• recharged
• jump-started
• stirred up
• catalyzed
• quickened
• stepped up
• sped (up)
• vitalized

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• killed
• cut
• stopped
• shut off
• cut out
• turned off
• checked
• stuck
• arrested
• halted
• stalled
• cut off
• jammed
• drew up
• deactivated
• slowed
• suppressed
• stunted
• braked
• repressed
• decelerated

4

as in began

to come into existence

the fight started when one child tripped the other

Synonyms & Similar Words

• began
• commenced
• originated
• arose
• appeared
• was
• formed
• emerged
• arrived
• sprang
• dawned
• set in
• materialized
• engendered
• existed
• broke
• lived
• actualized
• continued
• lasted
• breathed
• persisted
• came on
• survived
• subsisted
• endured
• shaped (up)
• coalesced
• cohered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stopped
• ended
• ceased
• finished
• concluded
• terminated
• halted
• discontinued
• quit
• disappeared
• died
• dissolved
• vanished
• evaporated
• desisted
• departed
• expired
• passed away
• perished

5

as in protruded

to extend outward beyond a usual point

frightened horses with starting eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• protruded
• poked
• bulged
• swelled
• projected
• stood out
• ballooned
• stuck out
• jutted
• bunched
• billowed
• pouted
• pouched
• pooched
• extended
• bellied
• overhung
• beetled
• bagged
• stretched
• lengthened
• snowballed
• expanded
• mushroomed
• inflated
• dilated
• distended
• elongated
• blew up
• domed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• contracted
• compressed
• condensed
• shrank
• constricted

6

as in commenced

to take the first step in (a process or course of action)

we'll be ready to start the concert in a moment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• began
• commenced
• opened
• launched
• created
• fell (to)
• initiated
• entered (into or upon)
• set about
• embarked (on or upon)
• struck (into)
• got to
• got off
• organized
• got going
• established
• adopted
• led off
• generated
• originated
• founded
• kicked off
• invented
• inaugurated
• instituted
• pioneered
• spawned
• innovated
• embraced
• took up
• took on
• set up
• fathered
• got down (to)
• got around (to)
• got round (to)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ended
• finished
• concluded
• stopped
• terminated
• ceased
• completed
• halted
• discontinued
• quit
• laid off
• closed
• left
• abandoned
• desisted
• destroyed
• knocked off
• abolished
• extinguished
• demolished
• forsook
• phased out
• exterminated

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of started

Oncologists are being flooded with requests as the special access program gets started. —CNN Money, 31 May 2026

Yet, San Antonio should be well-prepared for the challenge, having beaten the reigning champion Thunder, which started this season 24-1 and swept its first two playoff opponents. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 31 May 2026

The drama got even louder when a short sideline video started making the rounds on X. —Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026

Those opportunities finally started to pop up in 2023, when Dowdle ran for 361 yards while occasionally spelling Tony Pollard. —CBS News, 31 May 2026

Details of 44-year-old David Cardona’s condition were not released, and investigators have not said what started the brawl. —Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 31 May 2026

The two-time All-Star has started every game this season and started 161 of 162 games last season. —C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 31 May 2026

Mike Trout started the Angels’ scoring in the third with a two-out single to score Sebastián Rivero from second and tie the score at one. —Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026

Police suspect it was started by an individual who suddenly began running through the crowd, officials said. —Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 24 May 2026