start

See also: Start, START, and štart

English

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /stɑːt/
- Audio (southern England) (file)
- Audio (UK, "to start") (file)
(General American) enPR: stärt, IPA^(key): /stɑɹt/
- Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)t

Etymology 1

From Middle English stert, from the verb sterten (“to start, startle”). See below.

Noun

start (plural starts)

The beginning of an activity.
The movie was entertaining from start to finish.
- 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene i]:
  I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, / Straining upon the start.
A sudden involuntary movement.
He woke with a start.
- 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], OCLC 228727523:
  Nature does nothing by starts and leaps, or in a hurry.
- 1885, Robert Louis Stevenson, Olalla
  The sight of his scared face, his starts and pallors and sudden harkenings, unstrung me […]
The beginning point of a race, a board game, etc.
Captured pieces are returned to the start of the board.
An appearance in a sports game, horserace, etc., from the beginning of the event.
Jones has been a substitute before, but made his first start for the team last Sunday.
- 2011 February 12, Ian Hughes, “Arsenal 2 - 0 Wolverhampton”, in BBC‎:
  Wilshere, who made his first start for England in the midweek friendly win over Denmark, raced into the penalty area and chose to cross rather than shoot - one of the very few poor selections he made in the match.
(horticulture) A young plant germinated in a pot to be transplanted later.
- 2009, Liz Primeau, Steven A. Frowine, Gardening Basics For Canadians For Dummies
  You generally see nursery starts at garden centres in mid to late spring. Small annual plants are generally sold in four-packs or larger packs, with each cell holding a single young plant.
An initial advantage over somebody else; a head start.
to get, or have, the start
(UK, slang, archaic) A happening or proceeding.
- 1887, Hawley Smart, A False Start (volume 2, page 69)
  “It's a rum start, old John Madingley's coming down to Tunnleton,” said Grafton, one evening in the smoking-room; […]

Derived terms

by fits and starts
by starts and leaps
false start
for a start
fresh start
headstart
jumpstart
kickstart

Descendants

→ German: Start

Translations

beginning of an activity

American Sign Language: 1@InFinger-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterChesthigh 1@InFinger-PalmUp-OpenB@CenterChesthigh
Arabic: نَجْمَة‎ (ar) f (najma), اِبْتِدَاء‎ (ar) (ibtidāʔ)
Armenian: սկիզբ (hy) (skizb)
Assamese: আৰম্ভ (arombho)
Belarusian: пача́так m (pačátak)
Bengali: ইবতিদা (bn) (ibtida), শুরু (bn) (śuru), আগাজ (bn) (agaz)
Bulgarian: нача́ло (bg) n (načálo)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 開始／开始 (zh) (kāishǐ)
Czech: začátek (cs)
Danish: begyndelse c
Dutch: begin (nl), start (nl), aanvang (nl)
Esperanto: eko (eo), komenco (eo)
Faroese: byrjan f
Finnish: alku (fi), aloitus (fi), käynnistys (fi); startti (fi) (colloquial)
French: départ (fr) m, début (fr) m
Georgian: დასაწყისი (dasac̣q̇isi)
German: Beginn (de) m, Anfang (de) m
Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌿𐌼𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌹 f (frumisti), 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍃𐍄𐍉𐌳𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 f (anastōdeins)
Greek: αρχή (el) f (archí), ξεκίνημα (el) n (xekínima)
Ancient: ἀρχή f (arkhḗ)
Haitian Creole: kòmansman
Hebrew: התחלה‎ (he) f (hatkhalá)
Hungarian: kezdet (hu)
Icelandic: byrjun (is) f, upphaf n
Ido: komenco (io)
Inari Sami: algâ
Italian: avvio (it) m, partenza (it) f, inizio (it) m
Japanese: 開始 (ja) (kaishi), 初め (ja) (はじめ, hajime), スタート (ja) (sutāto), 出だし (でだし, dedashi)
Korean: 처음 (ko) (cheo'eum), 시작(始作) (ko) (sijak)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: سەرەتا‎ (ku) (sereta)
Latin: exordium n, orīgō (la) f
Macedonian: по́четок m (póčetok)
Maori: tīmatanga, ōrokotīmatanga
Mizo: bul, tìr, ṭan, ṭanna
Persian: آغاز‎ (fa) (āğāz)
Polish: początek (pl) m, zaczątek
Portuguese: começo (pt) m, início (pt) m, princípio (pt) m
Romanian: început (ro)
Russian: нача́ло (ru) n (načálo), старт (ru) m (start)
Sanskrit: आद (sa) m (āda), आरम्भ (sa) m (ārambha)
Scottish Gaelic: toiseach m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: почетак m
Roman: početak (sh) m
Sicilian: inizziu m
Slovak: začiatok (sk) m
Slovene: začetek (sl) m
Spanish: inicio (es) m, comienzo (es) m, empiece (es) m
Swedish: start (sv) c
Tagalog: simula
Tamil: தொடங்கு (ta) (toṭaṅku)
Turkish: başlangıç (tr)
Ukrainian: поча́ток (uk) m (počátok)
Vietnamese: bắt đầu (vi)
Welsh: cychwyn (cy) m

sudden involuntary movement

Bulgarian: трепване (bg) n (trepvane), сепване (sepvane)
Finnish: hätkähdys (fi), säpsähdys (fi)
German: Ruck (de) m
Hungarian: rándulás (hu), összerándulás, összerezzenés
Icelandic: viðbragð (is) n
Irish: geit f
Italian: sussulto (it) m, sobbalzo (it) m
Maori: tamaki, kahuki, oho, ohorere, ohotata
Norwegian:
Bokmål: rykk n
Occitan: subresaut m, ressaut m
Portuguese: sobressalto (pt) m
Russian: рыво́к (ru) m (ryvók)
Scottish Gaelic: leum m, clisgeadh m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: трзај m, покрет m
Roman: trzaj (sh) m, pokret (sh) m
Sicilian: scantazzu m
Spanish: respingo (es) m
Swedish: ryck (sv) n

beginning point of a race

Arabic: نَجْمَة‎ (ar) f (najma)
Armenian: մեկնարկ (hy) (meknark)
Bulgarian: старт m (start)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 起点 (zh)
Czech: start (cs) m
Dutch: startlijn (nl) m
Finnish: lähtö (fi)
French: départ (fr) m
German: Start (de) m
Greek: αφετηρία (el) f (afetiría) (afetiría), εκκίνηση (el) f (ekkínisi) (ekkínisi)
Hebrew: התחלה‎ (he) f (hatkhalá)
Hungarian: rajt (hu), start (hu)
Icelandic: upphaf n
Italian: avvio (it) m, partenza (it) f
Japanese: 開始地点 (kaishi chiten), 始点 (ja) (shiten), スタート地点 (sutāto chiten)
Maori: tīmatanga, ōrokotīmatanga
Norwegian:
Bokmål: opphav (no) n
Polish: start (pl) m
Portuguese: largada (pt) m, partida (pt) f
Russian: старт (ru) m (start)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: почетак m, полазиште n
Roman: početak (sh) m, polazište (sh) n
Sicilian: partenza f
Spanish: salida (es)
Tagalog: simula
Turkish: start (tr)

appearance in a sports game from the beginning of the match

Bulgarian: титуляр (bg) m (tituljar)
Finnish: aloituskokoonpano

horticulture: young plant germinated in a pot to be transplanted later

Finnish: istukas (fi), taimi (fi)

initial advantage over somebody else — see head start

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: ^{(please verify)} begin (nl) n
Italian: ^{(please verify)} partenza (it) f, ^{(please verify)} inizio (it) m
Latin: ^{(please verify)} initium (la)
Romanian: ^{(please verify)} tresărire (ro) f
Romansch: ^{(please verify)} entschatta, ^{(please verify)} cumenzament, ^{(please verify)} principi
Scottish Gaelic: ^{(please verify)} toiseach m
Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} polazište (sh)
Sylheti: ꠡꠥꠞꠥ (śuru)
Telugu: ^{(please verify)} మొదలు (te) (modalu), ^{(please verify)} ప్రారంభం (te) (prārambhaṁ)

Etymology 2

From Middle English sterten (“to leap up suddenly, rush out”), from Old English styrtan (“to leap up, start”), from Proto-West Germanic *sturtijan (“to startle, move, set in motion”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ter- (“to be stiff”). Cognate with Old Frisian stirta (“to fall down, tumble”), Middle Dutch sterten (“to rush, fall, collapse”) (Dutch storten), Old High German sturzen (“to hurl, plunge, turn upside down”) (German stürzen), Old High German sterzan (“to be stiff, protrude”). More at stare.

Verb

start (third-person singular simple present starts, present participle starting, simple past and past participle started)

(transitive) To begin, commence, initiate.
1. To set in motion.
  to start a stream of water; to start a rumour; to start a business
  - April 2, 1716, Joseph Addison, Freeholder No. 30
    I was some years ago engaged in conversation with a fashionable French Abbe, upon a subject which the people of that kingdom love to start in discourse.
  - 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 4293071:
    In the autumn there was a row at some cement works about the unskilled labour men. A union had just been started for them and all but a few joined. One of these blacklegs was laid for by a picket and knocked out of time.
2. To begin.
  - 2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:
    Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal, and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting.
3. To ready the operation of a vehicle or machine.
  to start the engine
4. To put or raise (a question, an objection); to put forward (a subject for discussion).
5. To bring onto being or into view; to originate; to invent.
  - 1674, William Temple, letter to The Countess of Essex
    Sensual men agree in the pursuit of every pleasure they can start.
(intransitive) To begin an activity.
The rain started at 9:00.
- 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
  Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’ [...].” So I started to back away again into the bushes. But I hadn't backed more'n a couple of yards when I see something so amazing that I couldn't help scooching down behind the bayberries and looking at it.
(intransitive) To have its origin (at), begin.
The speed limit is 50 km/h, starting at the edge of town.
The blue line starts one foot away from the wall.
To startle or be startled; to move or be moved suddenly.
1. (intransitive) To jerk suddenly in surprise.
  - c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The Merry VViues of VVindsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene v]:
    But if he start,
    It is the flesh of a corrupted heart.
  - c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene v], page 257, column 2:
    I could a Tale vnfold, vvhoſe lighteſt vvord
    VVould harrovv vp thy ſoule, freeze thy young blood,
    Make thy tvvo eyes like Starres, ſtart from their Spheres,
    Thy knotty and combined locks to part,
    And each particular haire to ſtand an end,
    Like Quilles vpon the fretfull Porpentine: […]
  - 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 6484883, (please specify the page number):
    I start as from some dreadful dream.
  - 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick: Or, The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry after Truth, […], 2nd edition, London: […] John Clark and Richard Hett, […], Emanuel Matthews, […], and Richard Ford, […], published 1726, OCLC 1325830848:
    Keep your soul to the work when it is ready to start aside.
  - 1855, Robert Browning, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, XXXI:
    [...] The tempest's mocking elf
    Points to the shipman thus the unseen shelf
    He strikes on, only when the timbers start.
2. (intransitive) To awaken suddenly.
  - 1818, [Mary Shelley], chapter IV, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume I, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, OCLC 830979744, page 100:
    I started from my sleep with horror; a cold dew covered my forehead, my teeth chattered, and every limb became convulsed; [...]
3. (transitive) To disturb and cause to move suddenly; to startle; to alarm; to rouse; to cause to flee or fly.
  The hounds started a fox.
  - c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene i]:
    Upon malicious bravery dost thou come
    To start my quiet?
4. (intransitive) To flinch or draw back.
  - 1836, Elizur Wright, Quarterly Anti-slavery Magazine (volume 2, page 162)
    Physical poison would make them start from arsenicked bread; shall not the moral poison which is in it, make them start more promptly still from slave produce?
5. (transitive) To move suddenly from its place or position; to displace or loosen; to dislocate.
  to start a bone; the storm started the bolts in the vessel
  - 1676, Richard Wiseman, Severall Chirurgical Treatises
    One, by a fall in wrestling, started the end of the clavicle from the sternon.
(intransitive) To break away, to come loose.
- 1749, [John Cleland], “[Letter the First]”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], volume I, London: […] G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], OCLC 731622352, page 76:
  [...] we could, with the greateſt eaſe, as well as clearneſs, ſee all objects, (ourſelves unſeen) only by applying our eyes cloſe to the crevice, where the moulding of a pannel had warp'd, or ſtarted a little on the other ſide.
(transitive, sports) To put into play.
- 2010, Brian Glanville, The Story of the World Cup: The Essential Companion to South Africa 2010, London: Faber and Faber, →ISBN, page 361:
  The charge against Zagallo then is not so much that he started Ronaldo, but that when it should surely have been clear that the player was in no fit state to take part he kept him on.
(transitive, nautical) To pour out; to empty; to tap and begin drawing from.
to start a water cask
(intransitive, euphemistic) To start one's periods (menstruation).
Have you started yet?

Usage notes

In uses 1.1 and 1.2 this is a catenative verb that takes the infinitive (to) or the gerund (-ing) form. There is no change in meaning.
For more information, see Appendix:English catenative verbs

Antonyms

(to begin):
- (to stop) stop, end, cease
- (to finish) finish, conclude, complete

Derived terms

astart
start-up
starter
when the looting starts, the shooting starts

Descendants

→ Dutch: starten
→ German: starten
→ Norman: stèrter
→ French: starter
→ Icelandic: starta
→ Faroese: starta
→ Norwegian Bokmål: starte
→ Norwegian Nynorsk: starta
→ Swedish: starta
→ Danish: starte
→ Slovak: štartovať

Translations

to set in motion

Azerbaijani: işə salmaq (az)
Bengali: শুরু করা (bn) (śuru kôra)
Bulgarian: пускам (bg) (puskam)
Catalan: començar (ca)
Danish: starte
Dutch: starten (nl)
Esperanto: eki (eo)
Finnish: käynnistää (fi), aloittaa (fi), laskea liikkeelle (rumor)
French: commencer (fr)
Galician: comezar (gl)
German: anfangen (de), streuen (de) (rumour), gründen (de), starten (de)
Hebrew: התחיל‎ (he) (hitkhíl)
Hungarian: elindít (hu), indít (hu)
Maori: timata (mi)
Mizo: ṭan
Neapolitan: accumencià
Norwegian: starte (no)
Old French: comencier
Polish: ruszyć (pl)
Portuguese: abrir (pt), começar (pt)
Romanian: începe (ro)
Russian: запуска́ть (ru) impf (zapuskátʹ), запусти́ть (ru) pf (zapustítʹ)
Serbo-Croatian: zapustiti (sh), pustiti (sh), navesti (sh)
Sicilian: attaccari (scn), fari pàrtiri
Spanish: empezar (es), comenzar (es)
Swedish: starta (sv)

to begin

Afrikaans: aangaan
American Sign Language: 1@InFinger-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterChesthigh 1@InFinger-PalmUp-OpenB@CenterChesthigh
Arabic: بَدَأَ‎ (ar) (badaʔa)
Lebanese Arabic: بلّش‎ (ballaš)
Armenian: սկսել (hy) (sksel)
Aromanian: ahurhescu, ãnchisescu, apãrnjescu, ntsep
Assamese: আৰম্ভ কৰ (arombho kor)
Asturian: entamar (ast)
Azerbaijani: başlamaq (az)
Belarusian: пачына́ць impf (pačynácʹ), пача́ць pf (pačácʹ) (transitive), пачына́цца impf (pačynácca), пача́цца (pačácca) (intransitive)
Bengali: শুরু করা (bn) (śuru kôra)
Bulgarian: запо́чвам (bg) impf (zapóčvam), по́чвам (bg) impf (póčvam), по́чна (bg) pf (póčna)
Burmese: စ (my) (ca.)
Catalan: començar (ca)
Cherokee: ᎠᏓᎴᏂᎭ (adaleniha)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 開始／开始 (hoi¹ ci²)
Mandarin: 開始／开始 (zh) (kāishǐ)
Czech: začínat (cs) impf, začít (cs) pf
Dalmatian: nizuor
Dutch: beginnen (nl), starten (nl), aanvangen (nl)
Esperanto: eki (eo)
Finnish: aloittaa (fi), alkaa (fi)
French: commencer (fr), entamer (fr), débuter (fr)
Friulian: comença
Galician: comezar (gl)
Georgian: დაწყება (dac̣q̇eba)
German: anfangen (de), beginnen (de), starten (de)
Gothic: 𐌳𐌿𐍃𐍄𐍉𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (dustōdjan)
Greek: ξεκινώ (el) (xekinó)
Ancient: ἄρχομαι (árkhomai)
Haitian Creole: komanse
Hebrew: התחיל‎ (he) (hitkhíl)
Hindi: शुरू करना (hi) (śurū karnā)
Hungarian: elkezd (hu), megkezd (hu), kezd (hu)
Icelandic: byrja (is)
Irish: cuir tús le
Italian: cominciare (it), iniziare (it)
Japanese: 始める (ja) (はじめる, hajimeru) (transitive), 開始する (ja) (かいしする, kaishi suru), 始まる (ja) (はじまる, hajimaru) (intransitive)
Korean: 시작하다 (ko) (sijak-hada)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: دەسپێکردن‎ (despêkirdin)
Latin: incipiō (la), ordior, initiō
Maori: tīmata
Nepali: शुरू गर्नु (śurū garnu)
Norman: c'menchi (Jersey)
North Frisian:
Hallig: öönfange
Norwegian: begynne (no)
Occitan: començar (oc)
Ojibwe: maad-
Old English: onġinnan
Old French: comencier
Persian: آغازیدن‎ (fa) (āγāzidan)
Polish: zacząć (pl)
Portuguese: começar (pt), iniciar (pt), estartar (pt) (Brazil)
Romanian: începe (ro)
Russian: начина́ть (ru) impf (načinátʹ), нача́ть (ru) pf (načátʹ) (transitive), начина́ться (ru) impf (načinátʹsja), нача́ться (ru) pf (načátʹsja) (intransitive)
Santali: ᱮᱦᱳᱵ (ehop’)
Scottish Gaelic: tòisich
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: по̀че̄ти, започети, начнути, начети
Roman: pòčēti (sh), započeti (sh), načnuti, načeti (sh)
Shan: တႄႇ (shn) (tàae)
Sicilian: accuminzari (scn), accuminciari (scn), attaccari (scn)
Slovak: začať pf, začínať impf
Slovene: začeti (sl)
Spanish: empezar (es), comenzar (es)
Swahili: -anza (sw)
Swedish: börja (sv)
Sylheti: ꠡꠥꠞꠥ ꠇꠞꠣ (śuru xora)
Tagalog: magsimula
Thai: เริ่ม (th) (rə̂əm), เริ่มต้น (th) (rə̂əm-dtôn), ตั้งต้น (th)
Turkish: başlamak (tr)
Ukrainian: почина́ти (uk) impf (počynáty), поча́ти (uk) pf (počáty) (transitive), почина́тися impf (počynátysja), поча́тися pf (počátysja) (intransitive)
Venetian: scuminsiar
Vietnamese: bắt đầu (vi)

to initiate operation of a vehicle or machine

Afrikaans: aangaan
American Sign Language: 1@InFinger-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterChesthigh 1@InFinger-PalmUp-OpenB@CenterChesthigh
Azerbaijani: işə salmaq (az)
Bulgarian: стартирам (bg) (startiram)
Catalan: engegar (ca)
Chickasaw: malichi
Chinese:
Mandarin: 启动 (zh)
Dutch: starten (nl)
Esperanto: eki (eo), starti
Finnish: käynnistää (fi), startata (fi) (colloquial)
French: démarrer (fr), mettre en route (fr)
Galician: iniciar (gl), arrancar
German: starten (de), anlassen (de)
Hebrew: התחיל‎ (he) (hitkhíl)
Hungarian: beindít (hu) (e.g. an engine)
Indonesian: menjalankan (id)
Italian: avviare (it)
Japanese: 始動する (ja) (shidō suru)
Malay: menjalankan
Norman: stèrter (Jersey, computing)
Polish: uruchomić (pl), zapalić (pl), zapuścić (pl)
Portuguese: ligar (pt)
Romanian: porni (ro)
Russian: запуска́ть (ru) impf (zapuskátʹ), запусти́ть (ru) pf (zapustítʹ)
Serbo-Croatian: pokrenuti (sh)
Sicilian:fari pàrtiri, aḍḍumari, attaccari (scn)
Slovene: zagnati
Spanish: iniciar (es), arrancar (es)
Swedish: starta (sv), sätta igång (sv)
Tamil: கிளப்பு (ta) (kiḷappu)

to put or raise a question or objection, to put forward

Dutch: beginnen (nl)
Finnish: esittää (fi)

of an activity, to begin

Afrikaans: aangaan
American Sign Language: 1@InFinger-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterChesthigh 1@InFinger-PalmUp-OpenB@CenterChesthigh
Armenian: սկսվել (hy) (sksvel)
Bulgarian: започвам (bg) (započvam)
Catalan: començar (ca)
Dutch: starten (nl), beginnen (nl), aanvangen (nl)
Esperanto: eki (eo), komenci (eo)
Finnish: alkaa (fi), aloittaa (fi), käynnistyä (fi) (of motors)
French: commencer (fr), débuter (fr)
German: beginnen (de)
Hebrew: התחיל‎ (he) (hitkhíl), פצח‎ (he) (patsákh)
Hungarian: elkezd (hu), kezd (hu)
Italian: creare (it), avviare (it)
Japanese: 始まる (ja) (hajimaru)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: دەسپێکردن‎ (despêkirdin)
Norman: c'menchi (Jersey)
Old French: comencier
Polish: zacząć (pl) pf, rozpocząć (pl) pf
Portuguese: começar (pt)
Russian: начина́ться (ru) impf (načinátʹsja), нача́ться (ru) pf (načátʹsja), стартова́ть (ru) pf or impf (startovátʹ)
Serbo-Croatian: početi (sh), započeti (sh)
Sicilian: attaccari (scn), accuminciari (scn), nnartari (scn), ncignari (scn), pàrtiri
Swedish: börja (sv)

to have its origin (at), begin

Catalan: començar (ca)
Hungarian: kezdődik (hu), elkezdődik (hu), megkezdődik (hu)
Sicilian: pàrtiri

to jerk suddenly in surprise

Bulgarian: трепвам (bg) (trepvam), сепвам се (sepvam se)
Danish: rykke til
Dutch: opschrikken (nl)
Faroese: hveppa
Finnish: hätkähtää (fi), säpsähtää
French: sursauter (fr)
German: zusammenfahren (de), zusammenzucken (de)
Hungarian: rándul (hu), összerándul (hu), megrezzen (hu), összerezzen (hu)
Icelandic: hrökkva við
Japanese: びくっとする (bikuttosuru)
Maori: ohomauri, ohorere, ohotata, hiki, kōtiri (whilst asleep), hoto, kohema
Polish: poderwać się
Portuguese: sobressaltar
Russian: дёргаться (ru) impf (djórgatʹsja), дёрнуться (ru) pf (djórnutʹsja), вздрагивать (ru) (vzdragivatʹ)
Scottish Gaelic: leum
Serbo-Croatian: trznuti (sh), trgnuti (sh)
Sicilian: abbaguttiri (scn), risautari
Swedish: rycka till (sv)

to awaken suddenly

Bulgarian: стряскам се (strjaskam se)
Danish: vågne med et sæt
Finnish: säpsähtää, havahtua (fi), herätä äkisti
German: auffahren (de), aufschrecken (de)
Hungarian: felriad (hu)
Icelandic: hrökkva upp
Japanese: 飛び起きる (tobi-okiru)
Polish: zerwać się (z łóżka) pf
Sicilian: risautari

to break away, to come loose

Danish: komme løs, løsrive sig
Finnish: irrota (fi)
German: sich lösen (de)
Sicilian: allintari (scn)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: ^{(please verify)} starten (nl), ^{(please verify)} beginnen (nl), ^{(please verify)} aanvangen (nl)
German: ^{(please verify)} starten (de) (at a race), ^{(please verify)} anfangen (de), ^{(please verify)} zusammenzucken (de)
Ido: ^{(please verify)} komencar (io)
Irish: ^{(please verify)} preab
Italian: ^{(please verify)} cominciare (it)
Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 開始／开始 (zh), ^{(please verify)} 开始 (zh)
Romanian: ^{(please verify)} tresări (ro), ^{(please verify)} porni (ro), ^{(please verify)} începe (ro)
Romansch: ^{(please verify)} entschaiver, ^{(please verify)} cumanzar, ^{(please verify)} iniziar
Swedish: ^{(please verify)} starta (sv), ^{(please verify)} börja (sv)
Telugu: ^{(please verify)} మొదలుపెట్టు (te) (modalupeṭṭu), ^{(please verify)} ప్రారంభించు (te) (prārambhiñcu)
Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} Bắt đầu

Noun

start (plural starts)

An instance of starting.

Derived terms

hard start

Etymology 3

From Middle English stert, start (“tail, handle, projection”), from Old English steort, stert, from Proto-West Germanic *stert, from Proto-Germanic *stertaz (“tail”). Cognate with Scots start, stairt (“side-post, shaft, upright post”), Dutch staart (“tail”), German Sterz (“tail, handle”), Swedish stjärt (“tail, arse”).

Noun

start (plural starts)

A projection or protrusion; that which pokes out.
A handle, especially that of a plough.
The curved or inclined front and bottom of a water wheel bucket.
The arm, or level, of a gin, drawn around by a horse.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for start in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913)

Derived terms

clubstart
redstart

Anagrams

Strat, Tarts, strat, tarts

Breton

Adjective

start

firm, strong
difficult

Derived terms

startijenn

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

Borrowed from English start.

Noun

start

start

Declension

Declension of start

nominative	start
genitive	startnıñ
dative	startqa
accusative	startnı
locative	startta
ablative	starttan

References

Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎, Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from English start.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈstart]

Noun

start m

start (beginning point of a race)

Declension

Declension of start

	singular	plural
nominative	start	starty
genitive	startu	startů
dative	startu	startům
accusative	start	starty
vocative	starte	starty
locative	startu	startech
instrumental	startem	starty

Related terms

připravit se, pozor, start

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English start.

Noun

start c (singular definite starten, plural indefinite starter)

start

Inflection

Declension of start

common gender	Singular		Plural
common gender	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	start	starten	starter	starterne
genitive	starts	startens	starters	starternes

Verb

start

imperative of starte

Dutch

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /stɑrt/
Audio (file)
Hyphenation: start
Rhymes: -ɑrt

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English start.

Noun

start m (plural starts, diminutive startje n)

start

Derived terms

pikstart
startbaan
starten
startpunt

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

start

first-, second- and third-person singular present indicative of starten
imperative of starten

German

Verb

start

singular imperative of starten

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English start.

Noun

start m (definite singular starten, indefinite plural starter, definite plural startene)

a start
fra start til mål ― from start to finish

Derived terms

omstart
startsted

Verb

start

imperative of starte

References

“start” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from English start.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /stɑrt/

Noun

start m (definite singular starten, indefinite plural startar, definite plural startane)

a start (beginning)

Verb

start

imperative of starta

Derived terms

omstart

References

“start” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from English start.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /start/
Audio (file)
Rhymes: -art
Syllabification: start

Noun

start m inan

(sports) start (beginning of a race)
(aviation) takeoff
Z niecierpliwością czekałam na start samolotu do Paryża.
I was impatiently waiting for the plane to Paris to take off/for its take-off.
participation
Większość kibiców ucieszyła się, że zdecydował się on na start w zawodach.
Most fans were happy to hear that he had decided to take part in the competition.

Declension

Declension of start

	singular	plural
nominative	start	starty
genitive	startu	startów
dative	startowi	startom
accusative	start	starty
instrumental	startem	startami
locative	starcie	startach
vocative	starcie	starty

Derived terms

falstart
startować
startowy

Romanian

Etymology

From English start.

Noun

start n (plural starturi)

start (of a race)

Declension

Declension of start

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) start	startul	(niște) starturi	starturile
genitive/dative	(unui) start	startului	(unor) starturi	starturilor
vocative	startule		starturilor

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English start.

Pronunciation

audio (file)

Noun

start c

a start; a beginning (of a race)
the starting (of an engine)

Declension

Declension of start
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	start	starten	starter	starterna
Genitive	starts	startens	starters	starternas

Derived terms

kallstart
nystart
omstart
startanordning
startavgift
startbana
startbatteri
startberedd
startbidrag
startbil
startblock
startelva
startflagga
startfält
startfålla
startgalopp
startgrop
startgrupp
starthjälp
startkabel
startkapital
startklar
startknapp
startledare
startlinje
startlista
startläge
startman
startmotor
startnummer
startnyckel
startpall
startpistol
startplats
startplatta
startpunkt
startraket
startsida
startsignal
startskott
startsnabb
startspår
startsträcka
starttid
startur
startvev
startväxel
startögonblick
tjuvstart

Related terms

starta
starter
startare

References

start in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

Anagrams

ratts, trast

Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from English start.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [staɾt]
Hyphenation: start

Noun

start (definite accusative startı, plural startlar)

start

Usage notes

Turkish phonotactics disallows complex syllable onsets, thus speakers may epenthesize a vowel after the first consonant, pronouncing it as [sɯtaɾt].

Declension

Inflection

Nominative

start

Definite accusative

startı

Singular

Plural

Nominative

start

startlar

Definite accusative

startı

startları

Dative

starta

startlara

Locative

startta

startlarda

Ablative

starttan

startlardan

Genitive

startın

startların

Possessive forms
Nominative
	Singular	Plural
1st singular	startım	startlarım
2nd singular	startın	startların
3rd singular	startı	startları
1st plural	startımız	startlarımız
2nd plural	startınız	startlarınız
3rd plural	startları	startları
Definite accusative
	Singular	Plural
1st singular	startımı	startlarımı
2nd singular	startını	startlarını
3rd singular	startını	startlarını
1st plural	startımızı	startlarımızı
2nd plural	startınızı	startlarınızı
3rd plural	startlarını	startlarını
Dative
	Singular	Plural
1st singular	startıma	startlarıma
2nd singular	startına	startlarına
3rd singular	startına	startlarına
1st plural	startımıza	startlarımıza
2nd plural	startınıza	startlarınıza
3rd plural	startlarına	startlarına
Locative
	Singular	Plural
1st singular	startımda	startlarımda
2nd singular	startında	startlarında
3rd singular	startında	startlarında
1st plural	startımızda	startlarımızda
2nd plural	startınızda	startlarınızda
3rd plural	startlarında	startlarında
Ablative
	Singular	Plural
1st singular	startımdan	startlarımdan
2nd singular	startından	startlarından
3rd singular	startından	startlarından
1st plural	startımızdan	startlarımızdan
2nd plural	startınızdan	startlarınızdan
3rd plural	startlarından	startlarından
Genitive
	Singular	Plural
1st singular	startımın	startlarımın
2nd singular	startının	startlarının
3rd singular	startının	startlarının
1st plural	startımızın	startlarımızın
2nd plural	startınızın	startlarınızın
3rd plural	startlarının	startlarının

Antonyms

finiş

start

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Etymology 2

Verb

Usage notes

Antonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Noun

Derived terms

See also

Etymology 3

Noun

Derived terms

Anagrams

Breton

Adjective

Derived terms

Further reading

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

Noun

Declension

References

Czech

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Related terms

See also

Further reading

Danish

Etymology

Noun

Inflection

Verb

Dutch

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Verb

German

Verb

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Verb

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Verb

Derived terms

References

Polish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Noun

Declension

Swedish

Etymology

Pronunciation