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
Relevance
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in activating
to cause to function
trying to start the car on a frigid morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in commencing
to come into existence
the fight started when one child tripped the other
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in protruding
to extend outward beyond a usual point
frightened horses with starting eyes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in beginning
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of starting
Franco Panizo, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
The team made some changes on the offensive line, including moving Austin Wylie into the starting lineup in Week 3.
—Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Cora then turned to Yoshida, who wasn’t in the starting lineup with Fried, a lefty, on the mound.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Salter was briefly benched for third-string Ryan Staub against Houston before being inserted back into the starting lineup against BYU.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Sep. 2025
Ward and Nolan Schanuel were both out of the starting lineup on the final day, which left the Angels with a lineup that seemed more fit for Tempe Diablo Stadium than Angel Stadium.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025
Training camp and preseason basketball will begin to test the seamlessness of his fit in the starting lineup alongside the Nuggets’ mainstays.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2025
Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Around her, the rooms were starting to fill up.
—Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025
As for starting right guard Tyler Booker, returner and wide receiver KaVontae Turpin and linebacker Jack Sanborn, question marks remain.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Oct. 2025
In 2020, during COVID-19 shutdowns, English didn’t have the schedule conflicts that once hindered him from starting his own coffee business.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 28 Sep. 2025
Bloomberg previously reported that each season of the show will be based on a single book, starting with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and ending with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
—Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Tropical storm conditions are projected for parts of Central Florida starting Monday, with ongoing watches and warnings posted as the storm passed.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Now industry watchers are starting to raise red flags about ARR.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2025
Love, the last driver above the current elimination line, leads Sanchez by five points, Hill by seven, Harrison Burton (20th Saturday after starting from the rear) by eight and Smith by 14.
—Reid Spencer, Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
Mascherano made five changes to the starting lineup from the loss to the Chicago Fire.
—Franco Panizo, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
The team made some changes on the offensive line, including moving Austin Wylie into the starting lineup in Week 3.
—Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Cora then turned to Yoshida, who wasn’t in the starting lineup with Fried, a lefty, on the mound.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Salter was briefly benched for third-string Ryan Staub against Houston before being inserted back into the starting lineup against BYU.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Sep. 2025
Ward and Nolan Schanuel were both out of the starting lineup on the final day, which left the Angels with a lineup that seemed more fit for Tempe Diablo Stadium than Angel Stadium.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025
Training camp and preseason basketball will begin to test the seamlessness of his fit in the starting lineup alongside the Nuggets’ mainstays.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Everton appear locked in a cycle where their starting No 9 flatters to deceive, is left out for the next game, but then the replacement fares little better.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Around her, the rooms were starting to fill up.
—Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025
As for starting right guard Tyler Booker, returner and wide receiver KaVontae Turpin and linebacker Jack Sanborn, question marks remain.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Oct. 2025
In 2020, during COVID-19 shutdowns, English didn’t have the schedule conflicts that once hindered him from starting his own coffee business.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 28 Sep. 2025
Bloomberg previously reported that each season of the show will be based on a single book, starting with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and ending with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
—Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Tropical storm conditions are projected for parts of Central Florida starting Monday, with ongoing watches and warnings posted as the storm passed.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Now industry watchers are starting to raise red flags about ARR.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2025
Love, the last driver above the current elimination line, leads Sanchez by five points, Hill by seven, Harrison Burton (20th Saturday after starting from the rear) by eight and Smith by 14.
—Reid Spencer, Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starting
Verb
-
Reuters reported that membership in the GenZ 212, which derived its name from Morocco’s area code, has soared in recent days—jumping from 3,000 last week to 130,000 on Thursday.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In fact, Apple’s stock was our top performer in the third fiscal quarter, jumping more than 24% in three months that ended Tuesday.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
For years, advocates for expanding child birth options in Kentucky have called on lawmakers to reduce barriers to establishing freestanding birthing centers.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The numbers also suggest TCU will have an easier time establishing the run against a Colorado defense that ranks 15th in the league in rushing defense.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This includes continuing to donate 5 percent of our profits to a range of organizations and activating our long-standing tradition of local volunteerism.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
With the sun shining in your sign until September 22 and both eclipses activating your axis of self and relationships, this month pushes you into taking initiative in your life.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That means Swift incorporated a portion of the pop classic's composition into her version, in this case the melody and beginning chorus lyrics.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Yet there’s nothing noticeable about him—brown hair, blue eyes, a chin just beginning to widen into adolescence—except the mix of fear and determination that shows when the camera zooms in on his face.—
Gershom Gorenberg,
The Atlantic,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Deputy Thomas Zajac, first on the scene, found Heskett kneeling in the grass near the park’s Old Mill Trail, grasping a pocketknife protruding from his abdomen.—
Andi Babineau,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Keta’s long layers fell on the sides of her face, while the back was noticeably teased and twisted with spiky pieces protruding out.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The case is scheduled to be heard in London’s High Court, commencing on October 28.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The rebate checks were issued for three consecutive years, commencing in 1999.—
Robert Goulder,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Arsenal’s flanks were regularly targeted despite Jeglertz admitting the initial game plan was to sear through Arsenal’s middle.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Loeb has long had a preoccupation with extraterrestrials – even co-founding the Galileo Project, a research program at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics dedicated to the search for alien life.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Goodall also widened her view of conservation in Gombe beyond the national park, founding a program to reduce deforestation by addressing poverty in the communities around Lake Tanganyika, improving medical facilities, and helping farmers prevent soil erosion.—
Michelle Nijhuis,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Starting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starting. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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