start in WordNet English dictionary

1. take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
   "We began working at dawn"; "Who will start?"; "Get working as soon as the sun rises!"; "The first tourists began to arrive in Cambodia"; "He began early in the day"; "Let's get down to work now"
   get down  begin  get  start out  start  set about  set out  commence 
   
2. set in motion, cause to start
   "The U.S. started a war in the Middle East"; "The Iraqis began hostilities"; "begin a new chapter in your life"
   begin  lead off  start  commence 
   
3. begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object
   "begin a cigar"; "She started the soup while it was still hot"; "We started physics in 10th grade"
   begin  start 
   
4. have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense
   "The DMZ begins right over the hill"; "The second movement begins after the Allegro"; "Prices for these homes start at $250,000"
   begin  start 
   
5. have a beginning characterized in some specified way
   "The novel begins with a murder"; "My property begins with the three maple trees"; "Her day begins with a workout"; "The semester begins with a convocation ceremony"
   begin  start 
   
6. bulge outward
   "His eyes popped"
   start  protrude  pop  pop out  bulge  bulge out  bug out  come out 
   
7. get off the ground
   "Who started this company?"; "We embarked on an exciting enterprise"; "I start my day with a good breakfast"; "We began the new semester"; "The afternoon session begins at 4 PM"; "The blood shed started when the partisans launched a surprise attack"
   start  start up  embark on  commence 
   
8. leave
   "The family took off for Florida"
   depart  part  start  start out  set forth  set off  set out  take off 
   
9. begin or set in motion
   "I start at eight in the morning"; "Ready, set, go!"
   start  go  get going 
   
10. bring into being
    "He initiated a new program"; "Start a foundation"
    originate  initiate  start 
    
11. move or jump suddenly, as if in surprise or alarm
    "She startled when I walked into the room"
    startle  jump  start 
    
12. play in the starting lineup
    start 
    
13. get going or set in motion
    "We simply could not start the engine"; "start up the computer"
    start  start up 
    
14. begin work or acting in a certain capacity, office or job
    "Take up a position"; "start a new job"
    start  take up 
    

1. the act of starting something
   "he was responsible for the beginning of negotiations"
   beginning  start  commencement 
   
2. the time at which something is supposed to begin
   "they got an early start"; "she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her"
   beginning  commencement  first  outset  get-go  start  kickoff  starting time  showtime  offset 
   
3. the advantage gained by beginning early (as in a race)
   "with an hour's start he will be hard to catch"
   start  head start 
   
4. a sudden involuntary movement
   "he awoke with a start"
   startle  jump  start 
   
5. a line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game
   start  starting line  scratch  scratch line 
   
6. a turn to be a starter (in a game at the beginning)
   "he got his start because one of the regular pitchers was in the hospital"; "his starting meant that the coach thought he was one of their best linemen"
   start  starting 
   
7. a signal to begin (as in a race)
   "the starting signal was a green light"; "the runners awaited the start"
   starting signal  start 
   
8. the beginning of anything
   "it was off to a good start"
   start