1 a : to do the first part of something : to begin doing something [+ obj] ▪ They started clearing land for the new housing development. ▪ He started the speech (out) with a joke. ▪ He started studying music at the age of five. ▪ She saw her divorce as an opportunity to start a new life. = She saw her divorce as an opportunity to start life anew/afresh/over. [no obj] ▪ As soon as you're ready to play, we'll start. ▪ Let's start with some warm-up exercises. ▪ He deleted what he wrote and started fresh/again/over. ▪ Nothing like this had ever been done before, so we had to start from scratch. [=we had to begin from a point at which nothing had been done yet] ▪ Olympic athletes start young and train hard. ▪ The tire tracks at the scene of the crime were a starting point for investigators. [=investigators used the tire tracks to start their investigation]
b [+ obj] : to begin to work on, produce, or give attention to (something)
▪ I started the quilt last month. ▪ Have you started your book report? ▪ Did you start (reading) the book yet?
c [+ obj] : to cause (something) to begin
▪ We started the meeting at 6:30. : to cause (something) to begin in a specified way ▪ She started the meeting with a brief review of the previous meeting. ▪ He starts every day with a cup of coffee.
d [+ obj] : to begin to have a feeling, thought, etc. — usually followed by to + verb ▪ She started to feel dizzy soon after the accident. ▪ I'm starting to think the oversight was intentional. — sometimes + -ing verb ▪ She started feeling dizzy soon after the accident. ▪ He started having chest pains.
e : to begin working at a new job or going to school [+ obj] ▪ I start my new job next Monday. ▪ When does she start school? [no obj] ▪ I just got a new job. I start next week. 2 a : to begin to happen, to exist, to be done, etc. [no obj] ▪ The fire started in the cellar. ▪ The rain will start soon and should end sometime this evening. ▪ The game started late. ▪ Starting next week, all employees will be required to wear ID tags. ▪ The movie just started. ▪ What is the movie's starting time? ▪ When does school start? ▪ The game was just starting when it began to rain. [+ obj] — often followed by to + verb ▪ It started to rain. ▪ The leaves are starting to change colors. — often + -ing verb ▪ It started raining.
b [+ obj] : to cause (something) to exist or happen
▪ He started a scholarship fund. ▪ The tradition was started many years ago. ▪ “Stop fighting, you two!” “He started it.” [=he did something to cause the fight] ▪ She's always starting arguments. ▪ They want to start a family [=begin to have children] soon. 3 a [no obj] : to begin to function or operate
▪ The car/engine won't start.
b [+ obj] : to cause (something) to begin to function or operate
▪ She started the car and drove away. 4 [+ obj] : to begin the use of (something)
▪ You'll have to start a new roll of tape. This one's empty. 5 always followed by an adverb or preposition [no obj] a : to have a particular beginning : to begin at a specified place or in a specified way
▪ The English alphabet starts with A and ends with Z. ▪ The first word in a sentence should start with a capital letter. ▪ The parade starts at the intersection of First and Main. ▪ The path/trail starts here and ends at the lake.
b : to have a specified quality, identity, job, etc., at the beginning — often + as ▪ What started (off) as a simple idea has become an expensive and complicated project. ▪ She started (out) as a sales assistant but is now the marketing director. 6 always followed by an adverb or preposition [no obj] : to begin to move toward a particular place or in a particular direction
▪ We'll start for home soon. ▪ We should start back to the camp before it gets dark. ▪ He started toward the door. ▪ The dog started after the squirrel. 7 [no obj] — used to indicate the beginning of a range, series, etc. — often + at ▪ The rates start at $10 per hour. ▪ At his company, salaries start at around $30,000. [=$30,000 is the lowest salary] ▪ Interest rates for CDs were starting at 3.9 percent. ▪ What is the starting salary for the job? [=what is the salary people are paid when they start the job?] ▪ The starting price [=the basic price when nothing extra has been added] for the car is $18,000. 8 a : to participate in a game or contest at its beginning [no obj] ▪ Despite his injury, he'll start in center field today. ▪ The manager removed the starting pitcher [=the pitcher who was playing at the beginning of the game] in the third inning. ▪ He's in the starting lineup. [=a list of the players who will be playing when the game begins] — often + for ▪ Who's starting for the home team? [+ obj] ▪ He'll start today's game in center field. ▪ a pitcher who has started five games so far this year ▪ She started the race but wasn't able to finish.
b [+ obj] : to put (someone or something) into a game or contest at its beginning
▪ The coach is starting him at quarterback for the next game. ▪ He plans to start [=enter] the horse in only a few races this year. 9 [+ obj] a : to cause (someone) to begin doing something
▪ Her questions started me thinking. : to cause (someone) to begin a job or activity in a particular way, at a particular level, etc. ▪ The company started him at the same salary he had been getting at his previous job.
b : to cause (someone) to begin talking about a particular subject
▪ “What do you think of the new boss?” “Don't get me started. I can't stand him.” — often + on ▪ Don't get him started on the war: he'll never stop! 10 [no obj] : to move suddenly and quickly because you are surprised or frightened
▪ The loud noise made him start. [=jump] ▪ The horse started when the shot rang out. 11 [no obj] informal : to begin complaining, arguing, etc.
▪ He started with me, so I hit him. ▪ Don't (you) start (with me). I made a mistake—that's the end of it.