- start
- ▪ I. start start 1 [stɑːt ǁ stɑːrt] verb1. [intransitive] if prices start at or from a particular figure, that is the lowest figure at which you can buy something, for example for the most basic product, service etc in a range:start at/from
• Delivery prices start at £10.40.
• My brother started his own plumbing business when he was only 24.
• On April 5 the airline started up a Stansted to Waterford daily link.
3. [intransitive, transitive] to begin a new job, or to begin going to school, college etc:• How soon can you start?
• The sales manager phoned this morning to ask if I could start next week.
start off phrasal verb [intransitive, transitive]1. start something ↔ off to begin or begin something in a particular way, especially when this changes later:• The stock market started off Thursday's half-day session with a rush of buying.
• Many new software firms start off consulting for other companies to help pay the bills.
2. [transitive] start somebody → off to help someone begin an activity:• His father started him off in the business.
[m0] ▪ II. start start 2 noun1. [countable usually singular] the beginning of an activity, event, or situation:start of• The share price has increased by 22% since the start of the year.
• They've had problems right from the start.
• The whole process takes 10 days from start to finish.
• Shops got off to a bad start in the weeks after currency union.
2. [countable usually plural] a job that has just started, a business that has just been created, or someone who has just started a new job:• The number of business starts plummeted 10.5% during the second half.
• a training course for new starts
the number of new houses, apartments etc on which building work has started in a particular period of time. The number of housing starts is an important economic indicator (= sign of the level of economic activity):• Canadian housing starts declined 3.4% from November to an annual rate of 173,000.
3. [singular] informal the beginning of a new job:• He went to the building site and asked if there was any chance of a start.
4. [countable usually singular] a situation in which you have an advantage over other people:• We've got a real head start on the rest of the industry, and very few real competitors.
* * *
Ⅰ.start UK US /stɑːt/ verb► [I or T] HR, WORKPLACE to begin to work in a job: »Can you start on Monday?
»I recently started a new job and I'm enjoying it very much so far.
»Entry-level employees start at low salaries.
► [I or T] to begin an activity or a set of activities: »He started the talk with a review of the past year's achievements.
start by doing sth »She started by thanking us all for attending.
► [I or T] (also start up) if a business or other organization starts, or if someone starts one, it is created and starts to operate: start a business/company »She started her own software company last year.
»The economic model of small, farmer-owned ethanol plants got the industry started.
► [I ] to begin at one level and then move to another: prices start at/from sth »Ticket prices start at €20 and go up to €100.
► [I or T] (also start off, also start out) to begin in a particular way and then change later: »He started his working life as an engineer, but later became a teacher.
start as sth »The company started as a snow removal business with one truck, and grew from there.
start with sth »He started with nothing and was a millionaire by the time he was 35.
► [I or T] if a machine or vehicle starts, or you start it, it begins to work or operate: »I started the computer and checked my mail.
Ⅱ.start UK US /stɑːt/ noun► [C, usually singular] the beginning of something: get off to a bad/good/slow start »The FTSE 100 got off to another good start and climbed steadily through the morning
»The shares have fallen from 418p at the start of the year to 121p today.
»Accessibility is something you must think about right from the start when you're choosing your venue.
»Johnson led the project from start to finish.
► [S] the act of beginning to do something: make a start on sth/doing sth »European funding has been obtained to enable us to make a start on the project.
► [C, usually plural] a business or job that has just begun, or a person who has just started a new job: »Construction spending, driven by starts of new factories and highways, rose a larger-than-expected 0.9%.
»They have been providing reliable data on small business starts and closures since 2003.
»All new starts are expected to sign the workplace agreement.
► [C, usually singular] an opportunity to begin something and start to be successful at it: »She got her start with the company as an accountant, auditing their books.
► [S] HEAD START(Cf. ↑head start)
Financial and business terms. 2012.
