1. (v. i.) To leap; to jump.
2. (v. i.) To move suddenly, as with a spring or leap, from surprise, pain, or other sudden feeling or emotion, or by a voluntary act.
3. (v. i.) To set out; to commence a course, as a race or journey; to begin; as, to start business.
4. (v. i.) To become somewhat displaced or loosened; as, a rivet or a seam may start under strain or pressure.
5. (v. t.) To cause to move suddenly; to disturb suddenly; to startle; to alarm; to rouse; to cause to flee or fly; as, the hounds started a fox.
6. (v. t.) To bring onto being or into view; to originate; to invent.
7. (v. t.) To cause to move or act; to set going, running, or flowing; as, to start a railway train; to start a mill; to start a stream of water; to start a rumor; to start a business.
8. (v. t.) To move suddenly from its place or position; to displace or loosen; to dislocate; as, to start a bone; the storm started the bolts in the vessel.
9. (v. t.) To pour out; to empty; to tap and begin drawing from; as, to start a water cask.
10. (n.) The act of starting; a sudden spring, leap, or motion, caused by surprise, fear, pain, or the like; any sudden motion, or beginning of motion.
11. (n.) A convulsive motion, twitch, or spasm; a spasmodic effort.
12. (n.) A sudden, unexpected movement; a sudden and capricious impulse; a sally; as, starts of fancy.
13. (n.) The beginning, as of a journey or a course of action; first motion from a place; act of setting out; the outset; -- opposed to finish.
14. (n.) A tail, or anything projecting like a tail.
15. (n.) The handle, or tail, of a plow; also, any long handle.
16. (n.) The curved or inclined front and bottom of a water-wheel bucket.
17. (n.) The arm, or level, of a gin, drawn around by a horse.
Thesaurus Entries
A, activate, advance, advantage, aid, allowance, alpha, arise, assistance, attack, avoid, backing, base, basis, be off, be startled, beat, beget, begin, beginning, beginnings, birth, blanch, blast away, blast off, blast-off, blench, blink, bob, boggle, bolt, border line, bounce, bound, boundary, boundary condition, boundary line, bourn, break, break boundary, break open, break up, breakoff point, bring before, bring forward, bring up, broach, buck, buckjump, bulge, bundle, bundle off, burst, capriole, carry away, ceiling, chance, chase, circumscription, clear, coign of vantage, come apart, come off, come undone, come unstuck, come up, commence, commencement, commend to attention, compass, confine, constitute, course, crack, crack up, create, creation, cringe, crop up, curvet, cutoff, cutoff point, cutting edge, dart, dawn, dawning, deadline, deadwood, delimitation, depart, determinant, develop, disintegrate, dive in, dive into, division line, dodge, dog, draw, draw back, drive, drop, duck, edge, embark, embark on, emerge, emergence, encouragement, end, enter, enter on, enter upon, establish, establishment, evade, extremity, fade, falcon, fall back, fall off, fall to, fall to pieces, father, fight shy, financing, finish, fissure, flick, flinch, flip, flirt, float, floor, flounce, flush, fly apart, flying start, follow the hounds, found, foundation, founding, fowl, fracture, fresh start, frontier, genesis, get busy, get going, get loose, get off, get to, get under way, get with it, give a start, give away, give birth to, give way, go, go ahead, go forth, go hunting, go to it, go to pieces, gun, handicap, hang back, hawk, head into, head start, hedge, help, high-water mark, hippety-hop, hit the road, hitch, hop, hop to it, hound, hunt, hunt down, hurdle, inaugurate, inauguration, inception, initiate, initiation, inside track, institute, institution, interface, introduce, issue, issue forth, jack, jacklight, jar, jerk, jib, jig, jiggle, jog, joggle, jolt, jump, jump a mile, jump off, jump over, jump to it, jump-off, kick off, kick-off, launch, launch into, lay before, lead, leading edge, leap, leap over, leapfrog, leave, light into, limen, limit, limitation, limiting factor, line, line of demarcation, line of departure, low-water mark, lower limit, make a motion, march, mark, mete, moot, move, negotiate, new departure, odds, offer a resolution, oncoming, onset, open, open up, opening, opportunity, organize, origin, originate, origination, outbreak, outset, outsetting
