start /; AmE / verb, noun

■ verb

JUMP-START, KICK-START

1 [no obj] (used with an adverb or a preposition)

to begin at a particular level:

Prices for the clothes start at about $100 and run into thousands.

2 [+ obj or no obj] start (sth/sb) (up)

to begin to exist; to make sth begin to exist:

There are a lot of small business starting up in the area.

They decided to start a catering business.

Who started you up in the music business?

⇨ START-UP See note at FOUND

3 [+ obj or no obj] start (out/off) (sth) (as sth)

to begin in a particular way that changes later:

She started as a secretary but ended up running the department.

The company started out with just 10 employees.

4 [+ obj or no obj]

when you start a machine or a vehicle or it starts, it begins to operate:

Just press this button to start the scanner.

FIT noun, HEAD noun

PHRASAL VERBS

start out

1

to begin to do sth, especially in business or work:

to start out in business

He started out on his career in 1992.

2

to have a particular intention when you begin sth:

I started out to fix a bug but I ended up writing a new program.

start over (especially AmE)

to begin again:

I messed up the design so I had to start over.

start up; start sth up

to begin working, happening, etc.; to make sth do this:

My computer won't start up.

Start up the engine.

START-UP

■ noun

HOUSING START

1 [C, usually sing.]

the point at which sth begins:

Things were looking bad at the start of the year.

The meeting got off to a good/bad start (= started well/badly).

The project was a disaster from start to finish.

2 [sing.]

the act or process of beginning sth:

We'd better make a start on these accounts.

I'd like to make an early start in the morning.

3 [C, usually sing.]

the opportunity that you are given to begin sth in a successful way:

The job gave him his start in publishing.

4 [C, usually pl.]

a business, project, etc. that has just begun:

Last year there were a large number of new business starts, and new business failures. ⇨ START-UP

HEAD noun

• corruption
• cosmeceutical
• cosmetic
• cost
• cost accounting
• cost allocation
• cost and freight
• cost base
• cost benefit
• cost-benefit analysis
• cost centre
• cost-conscious
• cost containment
• cost control
• cost-cutting
• cost-effective
• cost-efficiency
• cost-efficient
• cost inflation
• costing
• cost, insurance and freight
• cost leader
• cost of goods sold
• cost of living
• cost-of-living adjustment