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as in to jump
to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise) I started from my chair when I heard the sudden scream

Synonyms & Similar Words

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start

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noun

started

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verb (2)

past tense of start
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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of start
Verb
Alfred Collins spent his first four years at Texas in the shadows, starting all of 12 games as the Longhorns kept rotating in older studs on their defensive line. Vic Tafur, New York Times, 16 May 2025 All of those accomplishments, however, paled in personal significance to what the Dodgers’ starting catcher did. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
Noun
Kuhns allowed 5 runs (4 earned), 3 hits and 3 walks, and struck out 3 during his 2-inning start for the Vols. Matt Jones, Arkansas Online, 17 May 2025 While the official start of hurricane season is June 1st, storms can occasionally develop in May. Doyle Rice, USA Today, 16 May 2025
Verb
That’s quite a feat for a team that started playing football in 1925. Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024 The cold of the night had returned, and the baby had started to shiver. Karen Zautyk, New York Daily News, 24 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for start
Recent Examples of Synonyms for start
Noun
  • Coming back as a judge 20 years later is such a special full-circle moment for me and it’s meant a lot to share that journey with the people that have been there from the beginning, as well as a whole new generation of Idol fans.
    Michelle Lee, People.com, 18 May 2025
  • The inaugural Mass marked the official beginning of Leo’s pontificate.
    Molly Bohannon, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
Noun
  • Trump's speech politicizes military commencement The anecdote came during the commencement address, in which Trump touted his administration's isolationist stances and the ending of diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
    James Powel, USA Today, 26 May 2025
  • At least 12 people were injured after a tree fell on bystanders during a commencement ceremony at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, on Friday.
    Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 24 May 2025
Noun
  • And since its inception, the CDF has made significant investments in cinema through a portfolio of $234 million.
    Partner Content, Variety, 19 May 2025
  • Since its inception, NASA has selected 61 women as astronaut candidates, many of them making groundbreaking contributions to space science and exploration.
    Betsy Pudliner, The Conversation, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • At the onset, $50 million in seed money was allocated statewide, but the law stated an additional unspecified amount would be needed in the future.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
  • Former Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey is returning to broadcast TV as the lead in Memory of a Killer, Fox’s straight-to-series thriller about a hitman who develops early onset Alzheimer’s.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 May 2025
Noun
  • While working in South America, the Neapolitan engineer oversaw the launch of a plant in Brazil that made Jeep the country’s top-selling SUV brand.
    Mark Phelan, USA Today, 20 May 2025
  • The launch, announced at Microsoft’s Build developer conference in Seattle, shows that the technology company wants to make AI a more natural part of the process of enhancing software.
    Jordan Novet, CNBC, 19 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Start.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/start. Accessed 30 May. 2025.

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