Synonyms of starting

starting 1 of 2

adjective

as in beginning

Related Words

• beginning
• initial
• opening
• first
• earliest
• pioneer
• original
• inaugural
• foremost
• maiden
• primary
• leadoff
• headmost
• eminent
• premier
• superior

Dissimilar Words

• last
• final
• latter
• concluding
• latest
• following
• terminal
• ultimate
• succeeding
• lag
• closing
• terminating
• eventual
• ensuing
• consequent
• rearmost
• hindmost
• bottommost
• crowning
• decisive
• conclusive
• definitive

starting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of start

1

as in jumping

to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise)

I started from my chair when I heard the sudden scream

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jumping
• leaping
• cringing
• wincing
• startling
• bolting
• flinching
• twitching
• jerking
• reacting
• responding
• springing
• shrinking
• recoiling
• jolting
• bounding
• blenching
• spooking
• quailing
• squinching

2

as in establishing

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

started the impressionist movement in art

Synonyms & Similar Words

• establishing
• founding
• initiating
• launching
• introducing
• creating
• beginning
• pioneering
• instituting
• inaugurating
• planting
• constructing
• constituting
• originating
• organizing
• innovating
• developing
• producing
• setting up
• inventing
• devising
• manufacturing
• authoring
• expanding
• thinking (up)
• cooking (up)
• conceiving
• funding
• enlarging
• financing
• making up
• concocting
• subsidizing
• fathering
• arranging
• contriving
• fabricating
• endowing
• relaunching
• systematizing
• reinitiating
• reinstituting
• putting up
• refounding
• systemizing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• closing (down)
• shutting (up)
• ending
• finishing
• abolishing
• phasing out
• stopping
• terminating
• halting
• nullifying
• annihilating
• annulling
• winding up
• rounding (off or out)
• wrapping up

3

as in activating

to cause to function

trying to start the car on a frigid morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

• activating
• triggering
• sparking
• driving
• moving
• generating
• powering
• fueling
• running
• pushing
• setting off
• igniting
• turning on
• charging
• provoking
• touching off
• launching
• actuating
• firing
• cranking (up)
• switching
• releasing
• electrifying
• energizing
• turning over
• stimulating
• accelerating
• tripping
• discharging
• reactivating
• exciting
• kicking over
• recharging
• inciting
• kick-starting
• instigating
• stirring up
• jump-starting
• quickening
• arousing
• catalyzing
• stepping up
• vitalizing
• speeding (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cutting
• killing
• stopping
• checking
• sticking
• cutting out
• shutting off
• turning off
• halting
• arresting
• cutting off
• stalling
• braking
• drawing up
• slowing
• jamming
• deactivating
• suppressing
• repressing
• decelerating
• stunting

4

as in commencing

to come into existence

the fight started when one child tripped the other

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beginning
• commencing
• originating
• appearing
• arising
• being
• forming
• arriving
• emerging
• springing
• existing
• living
• breaking
• dawning
• continuing
• actualizing
• materializing
• setting in
• lasting
• engendering
• breathing
• surviving
• coming on
• subsisting
• persisting
• shaping (up)
• coalescing
• enduring
• cohering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ending
• stopping
• ceasing
• finishing
• terminating
• concluding
• discontinuing
• halting
• quitting
• disappearing
• vanishing
• dying
• dissolving
• evaporating
• departing
• desisting
• expiring
• passing away
• perishing

5

as in protruding

to extend outward beyond a usual point

frightened horses with starting eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• protruding
• poking
• projecting
• bulging
• standing out
• swelling
• jutting
• sticking out
• bunching
• extending
• pouting
• billowing
• ballooning
• overhanging
• bagging
• bellying
• pooching
• pouching
• stretching
• beetling
• expanding
• lengthening
• inflating
• snowballing
• mushrooming
• dilating
• distending
• doming
• elongating
• blowing up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• contracting
• shrinking
• condensing
• compressing
• constricting

6

as in launching

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

• beginning
• commencing
• launching
• opening
• falling (to)
• creating
• entering (into or upon)
• initiating
• striking (into)
• embarking (on or upon)
• getting off
• organizing
• generating
• getting to
• originating
• establishing
• getting going
• leading off
• adopting
• setting about
• kicking off
• inventing
• inaugurating
• founding
• instituting
• spawning
• innovating
• pioneering
• embracing
• taking up
• taking on
• fathering
• setting up
• getting down (to)
• getting around (to)
• getting round (to)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ending
• finishing
• stopping
• terminating
• concluding
• ceasing
• discontinuing
• completing
• halting
• closing
• leaving
• quitting
• laying off
• abandoning
• destroying
• desisting
• knocking off
• abolishing
• forsaking
• extinguishing
• exterminating
• demolishing
• phasing out

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of starting

Adjective

Chawinga, back in the starting lineup after missing the Current's last match with an illness, put Kansas City in front in the 60th, with an assist from Bethune. — ABC News, 17 July 2026

De’Zhaun Stribling, a 2026 second-round pick, could and should play his way into the starting lineup or a considerable role. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 17 July 2026

Schjerlderup was the lone change Norway coach Stale Solbakken made in the starting lineup for Saturday’s match, starting the Benfica midfielder on the left flank in place of Antonio Nusa. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 12 July 2026

Former Kansas State guard Markquis Nowell joined Dickinson in the starting lineup for the Pelicans. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 12 July 2026

Will Zachariah Branch be in the starting lineup for the first game? — Josh Kendall, New York Times, 9 July 2026

Guerrero will be replaced in the starting lineup by the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz and Judge by Yankees teammate Cody Bellinger. — Ronald Blum, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Jónsdóttir returned to the starting lineup after missing the last four games because of a foot injury. — Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

Jonsdottir returned to the starting lineup after missing the last four matches with a foot injury. — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 July 2026

Verb

But signs of El Niño are starting to show up in other global-scale atmospheric wind and weather patterns, including the Walker Circulation, according to Lowry, which lends more credence to the idea that El Niño has its finger on the scales. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

Other outlets such as SeatGeek and StubHub also listed upper deck tickets starting around $10,000, with some lower bowls seats approaching $35,000. — ABC News, 18 July 2026

To make this easier, Rebecca Sears, the gardening authority at Ferry-Morse, suggests starting with a color that’s available in a wide range of different flowers. — Heather Bien, Southern Living, 18 July 2026

These were often part of multi-artist bills that ran for well over six hours, starting long before the sun set. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2026

Colleges package financial aid in layers, starting with the federal aid a student is eligible for, then state aid on top of that, then college aid. — Jay A. Perman, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2026

Getting to the median estimate of $225, starting at the July 6 price of $160, would raise SpaceX’s valuation by $1 trillion to $3 trillion between next July and year-end 2027. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 18 July 2026

Women with a history of hormone-sensitive cancer, cardiovascular risk factors or severe mood symptoms should consult a clinician before starting or adjusting a routine. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026

Schjerlderup was the lone change Norway coach Stale Solbakken made in the starting lineup for Saturday’s match, starting the Benfica midfielder on the left flank in place of Antonio Nusa. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 12 July 2026