Do you believe war will start?
Source: tatoeba (15946)
Start
/stɑːt/
Synonyms for "start" (660 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (132)
Verb(19 words)
Noun(25 words)
beginningcommencementjumpactioningactivateactivatingactivationapplication processarisingbasisbeginbirth of modern scienceblastoffbootingbootsbootstrap projectcall to ordercause chaincoaxcommence
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aace in the holeactivateadvanceadvantageaidallowancealphaalphabetariseassistanceattackattemptavoidbackingbasebasisbe offbe startledbeat
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begetbeginbeginningbeginningsbirthblanchblast awayblast offblast-offblenchblinkbobboggleboltborder linebounceboundboundaryboundary conditionboundary linebournbreakbreak boundarybreak openbreak upbreakoff pointbrewbring beforebring forwardbring upbroachbuckbuckjumpbulgebundlebundle offburstcapriolecarry awayceilingchancechasecircumscriptionclearcoign of vantagecoincome apartcome offcome undonecome unstuckcome upcommencecommencementcommend to attentioncompassconceptionconfineconstitutecorecoursecrackcrack upcreatecreationcringecrop upcurvet
Adjective(1 words)
active term
Strong matches (198)
cutoffcutoff pointcutting edgedartdawndawningdeadlinedeadwooddelimitationdepartdeterminantdevelopdisintegratedive indive intodivision linedodgedogdrawdraw back
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drivedropduckedgeembarkembark onemergeemergenceencouragementendenterenter onenter uponentranceestablishestablishmentevadeexciteextremityfadefalconfallfall backfall offfall tofall to piecesfatherfight shyfinancingfinishfirefissureflickflinchflipflirtfloatfloorflounceflushfly apartflying startfollow the houndsfomentfoundfoundationfoundingfowlfracturefresh startfrontiergenerationgenesisgermget busyget goingget looseget offget toget under wayget with itgive a startgive awaygive birth togive waygogo aheadgo forthgo huntinggo to itgo to piecesgunhandicaphang backhawkheadhead intohead starthedgehelphigh water markhigh-water markhippety-hophit the roadhitchhophop to ithoundhunthunt downhurdleinaugurateinaugurationinceptioninfancyinitiateinitiationinside trackinstituteinstitutioninterfaceintroduceissueissue forthjackjacklightjarjerkjibjig
Noun(36 words)
dashembarkationembarkationsembarkingembarkmentengageexecsfiringfirstflinchflip switchfull scale launchgame tipoffgavelget-gogo termground floorgroundbreakhead startignite
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Verb(29 words)
Adjective(3 words)
Related words (330)
jigglejogjogglejoltjumpjump a milejump offjump overjump to itjump-offkick offkick-offlaunchlaunch intolay beforeleadleading edgeleapleap overleapfrog
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leavelight intolimenlimitlimitationlimiting factorlineline of demarcationline of departurelow-water marklower limitmakemake a motionmarchmarkmetemootmovenegotiatenew departureoddsoffer a resolutiononcomingonsetopenopen upopeningopportunityorganizeoriginoriginateoriginationoutbreakoutsetoutsettingoutstartoverjumpoverleapoverskippanicpeel offpickpioneerpitch inpitch intopluckplunge intopoint of departureport of embarkationposepostulatepouncepounce onpounce uponpreferproceedproducepropelproposepropositionpropoundprotrudeprovokeprowl afterpullpull backput forthput forwardput in motionput it toquailrecoilrecommendreel backretreatride to houndsriserunrunning startrupturesail intosallysally forthscaresendsend forthsend offsend-offset aboutset afloatset agoingset atset beforeset forthset forwardset goingset inset in motionset offset on footset outset sailset toset to workset upsetoffsetoutsetting in motionsetting-upsheer offshikarshockshootshrinkshrink backshysidestepskedaddleski jumpskipsnapsnatchsomething extrasomething in reservesplitsponsorshipsportspringspring a leakspring apartsquare onesquinchstalkstampedestart asidestart backstart goingstart instart offstart outstart upstart-offstartingstarting gatestarting linestarting placestarting pointstarting poststartlesteeplechasestick outstill huntstill-huntstrike outsubmitsudden pullsuggestswerveswitch ontackletake offtake ontake uptake-offtakeofftarget datetermterminal dateterminusthresholdtime allotmenttouchtracktrailturnturn asideturn onturn totweaktwitchundertakeunravelupdiveupleapupper handupper limitupspringvantagevantage groundvantage pointvaultwade intoweaselweasel outwhip handwincewrenchyankyerk
Noun(70 words)
joltjump intojumpstartkickkickingkickoffkickoffskickslauncelaunchlauncheslaunchinglaunching bandleapliftoffmore triggermotionmotor energizationmotor startupneighborhood garden project
Show 50 more words
offsetonsetonset of illnessonset of movementonsetsopen ended tasksopen gatheringopen meeting rulesopening a bookoriginorigin firingoriginal workoriginating fromoutsetoutsetsplayplungespower up devicespoweringprefaceprefacingprimesproceedingprogram launchpull outrootsailsandingscratchscratch lineseedlingseedlingsservessetting outshowtimesingle pushsound triggersourcestartingstarting linestarting signalstarting timestartletask executionteetriggertriggeringusherswakeswhirring
Verb(36 words)
Adjective(5 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: begin, beginning, commencement, jump, a.
- begin: 'Begin' is slightly more formal than 'start' and often preferred in writing. 'Start' works better for physical actions.
- Sentence evidence is available for start, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "start".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "start"
Keep "start" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "start" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "start", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "start" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
How these synonyms differ
- begin - 'Begin' is slightly more formal than 'start' and often preferred in writing. 'Start' works better for physical actions.
- commence - 'Commence' is the most formal option, used in ceremonies, legal proceedings, and official contexts.
- initiate - 'Initiate' implies formal or deliberate commencement, initiating a process, a conversation, or a project. More administrative.
- launch - 'Launch' implies momentum and ambition, you launch products, campaigns, and careers. It suggests a public debut.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
58 entriesShowing 16 of 58 words.
More specific
15 entriesCollocations
8 entriesearly startfresh startkickoff eventstart buttonstart datestart linestart timestartup company
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriesAntonyms
2 entriessimilar
1 entriesSample sentences
55 total sentences available.
You should start as early as you can.
Source: tatoeba (15998)
You ought to be on time if you start now.
Source: tatoeba (16138)
It is necessary for you to start now.
Source: tatoeba (16139)
Showing 4 of 55 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "start"?
Closest matches include begin, beginning, commencement, jump, a.
How is "begin" different from "start"?
'Begin' is slightly more formal than 'start' and often preferred in writing. 'Start' works better for physical actions.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "start"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.