Synonyms of starts

starts 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of start

1

as in jumps

to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise)

I started from my chair when I heard the sudden scream

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jumps
• winces
• leaps
• cringes
• startles
• flinches
• reacts
• bolts
• twitches
• jerks
• responds
• recoils
• shrinks
• springs
• jolts
• spooks
• bounds
• blenches
• quails
• squinches

2

as in founds

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

started the impressionist movement in art

Synonyms & Similar Words

• founds
• establishes
• initiates
• begins
• launches
• introduces
• creates
• institutes
• pioneers
• inaugurates
• plants
• constitutes
• originates
• innovates
• organizes
• constructs
• develops
• invents
• sets up
• authors
• produces
• fathers
• manufactures
• conceives
• devises
• concocts
• expands
• thinks (up)
• cooks (up)
• contrives
• enlarges
• makes up
• subsidizes
• endows
• arranges
• finances
• fabricates
• funds
• systematizes
• reinitiates
• relaunches
• systemizes
• reinstitutes
• refounds
• puts up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• closes (down)
• ends
• shuts (up)
• stops
• finishes
• abolishes
• terminates
• annihilates
• nullifies
• halts
• annuls
• phases out
• rounds (off or out)
• winds up
• wraps up

3

as in activates

to cause to function

trying to start the car on a frigid morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

• activates
• triggers
• sparks
• drives
• moves
• generates
• powers
• fuels
• runs
• ignites
• sets off
• provokes
• actuates
• turns on
• pushes
• launches
• touches off
• cranks (up)
• fires
• charges
• stimulates
• energizes
• electrifies
• switches
• accelerates
• turns over
• releases
• trips
• reactivates
• excites
• arouses
• kick-starts
• incites
• kicks over
• instigates
• quickens
• recharges
• discharges
• jump-starts
• catalyzes
• speeds (up)
• stirs up
• steps up
• vitalizes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• kills
• stops
• cuts
• turns off
• shuts off
• brakes
• arrests
• cuts out
• halts
• checks
• sticks
• stalls
• jams
• slows
• deactivates
• cuts off
• suppresses
• draws up
• represses
• decelerates
• stunts

4

as in begins

to come into existence

the fight started when one child tripped the other

Synonyms & Similar Words

• begins
• commences
• originates
• arises
• appears
• is
• emerges
• arrives
• forms
• springs
• engenders
• exists
• breaks
• dawns
• lasts
• materializes
• sets in
• lives
• actualizes
• continues
• breathes
• persists
• survives
• comes on
• subsists
• endures
• shapes (up)
• coalesces
• coheres

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ends
• stops
• ceases
• concludes
• finishes
• terminates
• disappears
• halts
• quits
• vanishes
• dissolves
• dies
• evaporates
• departs
• expires
• discontinues
• desists
• perishes
• passes away

5

as in protrudes

to extend outward beyond a usual point

frightened horses with starting eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• protrudes
• pokes
• juts
• bulges
• stands out
• swells
• sticks out
• projects
• pouts
• extends
• billows
• overhangs
• bunches
• beetles
• pouches
• lengthens
• bellies
• balloons
• bags
• stretches
• inflates
• expands
• dilates
• pooches
• distends
• elongates
• domes
• mushrooms
• snowballs
• blows up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• shrinks
• contracts
• condenses
• compresses
• constricts

6

as in commences

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

• begins
• commences
• opens
• launches
• falls (to)
• creates
• enters (into or upon)
• strikes (into)
• initiates
• gets going
• embarks (on or upon)
• gets off
• generates
• gets to
• leads off
• sets about
• originates
• organizes
• establishes
• kicks off
• adopts
• invents
• inaugurates
• founds
• institutes
• spawns
• innovates
• fathers
• embraces
• takes on
• takes up
• gets down (to)
• gets around (to)
• sets up
• pioneers
• gets round (to)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ends
• concludes
• finishes
• stops
• terminates
• ceases
• closes
• halts
• completes
• quits
• discontinues
• leaves
• abandons
• desists
• destroys
• lays off
• forsakes
• knocks off
• abolishes
• extinguishes
• demolishes
• exterminates
• phases out

starts

2 of 2

noun

plural of start

as in beginnings

the point at which something begins

knew from the start of the game that he would win easily

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beginnings
• launches
• inceptions
• onsets
• commencements
• alphas
• dawns
• thresholds
• geneses
• outsets
• day ones
• baselines
• mornings
• kickoffs
• incipiencies
• incipiences
• births
• nascencies
• infancies
• originations
• nascences
• get-goes
• initiations
• origins
• first bases
• inaugurations
• drawing boards
• ground zeros
• debuts
• square ones
• springs
• cradles
• arrivals
• emergences
• institutions
• openings
• fountains
• germs
• sources
• creations
• wells
• appearances
• roots
• fountainheads
• advents
• wellsprings
• childhoods
• youths
• seedbeds

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ends
• closes
• conclusions
• endings
• stops
• finishes
• periods
• closures
• completions
• terminations
• closings
• omegas
• cessations
• finales
• windups

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of starts

Verb

Three steps to nuclear power The development path starts with conventional propulsion. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2026

An exchange needs on-premise deployment inside its own perimeter; a broker is often better served by a hybrid model; and a family office or bank starts from regulatory requirements that differ case by case. — Sergey Stopnevich, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026

But if your cilantro starts flowering, don’t pull it up just yet. — Rachel Gillett, Martha Stewart, 15 Sep. 2026

The chic flat starts rubbing and the chunky sneaker suddenly feels too casual for a sundress. — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 2026

But come Wednesday, the region will hear that familiar rumble of thunder as a stormy stretch starts again. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026

The top of the oddsboard is still Notre Dame (-900 on FanDuel, -800 on DraftKings) and Miami (-650 FanDuel, -600 BetMGM), but the movement starts after that. — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Immediately afterward, a second microwave pulse flips the atom into the opposite state, so the superposition that’s flying upward changes into magnetically blind one, and starts falling under gravity with no other forces influencing it. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

The iPhone 18 Pro and Max are priced at $100 more than last year’s models, while the foldable Duo starts at $1,999. — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

Noun

Building these connections has to begin long before a fire starts, continue while the fire burns and endure long after the fire has ended. — Matt Thompson, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026

Some leading clubs in Europe had been linked with the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international, who has scored seven goals for the League of Ireland side this season, in 17 starts and 11 sub appearances. — Paul Taylor, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Employers can also raise deductibles (the price upfront before coverage starts) and copays (the flat fee before a visit). — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026

The 24-year-old right-hander has allowed two runs or fewer in five of seven starts since returning from Tommy John surgery in August. — ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has won 14 starts and thrown for more than 4,000 yards in each of the past two seasons. — Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026

The iPhone 17 starts at $899 with 256GB of storage instead of $799. — Stevie Bonifield, The Verge, 9 Sep. 2026

The book’s storytelling starts with the picture on its cover. — Myriam Gurba, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

The playbook that drove the first $100 million starts to drag. — Doug May, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026