To move with a sudden involuntary jerk or twitch, as from a shock of surprise, fear, pain, or the like; give sudden involuntary expression to or indication of surprise, pain, fright, or any sudden emotion, by a quick convulsive movement of the body: as, he started at the sight.To make a sudden or unexpected change of place or position; rise abruptly or quickly; spring; leap, dart, or rush with sudden quickness: as, to start aside, backward, forward, out, or up; to start from one's seat.To set out; begin or enter upon action, course, career, or pursuit, as a journey or a race.To run; escape; get away.To lose hold; give way; swerve aside; be disloeated or moved from an intended position or direction; spring: as, the ship's timbers started.To fall off or out; loosen and come away, as the baleen of a dead whale through decomposition, or hair from a soured pelt.To begin; set out: as, he started out to be a lawyer.To begin operation or business: as, the factory will start up to-morrow.To rouse suddenly into action, motion, or flight, as a beast from its lair, a hare or rabbit from its form, or a bird from its nest; cause to come suddenly into view, action, play, flight, or the like: as, to start game; to start the detectives.To originate; begin; set in motion; set going; give the first or a new impulse to: as, to start a fire; to start a newspaper, a school, or a new business; to start a controversy.To cause to set out, or to provide the means or take the steps necessary to enable (one) to set out or embark, as on an errand, a journey, enterprise, career, etc.: as, to start one's son in business; to start a party on an expedition.To loosen, or cause to loosen or lose hold; cause to move from its place: as, to start a plank; to start a tooth; to start an anchor.To set flowing, as liquor from a cask; pour out: as, to start wine into another cask.To alarm; disturb suddenly; startle.n. A sudden involuntary spring, jerk, or twitch, such as may be caused by sudden surprise, fear, pain, or other emotion.n. A spring or recoil, as of an elastic body; spring; jerk.n. A sudden burst or gleam; a sally; a flash.n. A sudden bound or stroke of action; a brief, impulsive, intermittent, or spasmodic effort or movement; spasm: as, to work by fits and starts.n. A sudden voluntary movement; a dash; a rush; a run.n. A starting or setting out in some course, action, enterprise, or the like; beginning; outset; departure.n. Lead or advantage in starting or setting out, as in a race or contest; advantage in the beginning or first stage of something: as, to have the start in a competition for a prize.n. Impulse, impetus, or first movement in some direction or course; send-off: as, to get a good start in life.n. A part that has started; a loosened or broken part; a break or opening.n. Distance.n. A tail; the tail of an animal: thus, redstart is literally redtail.n. Something resembling a tail; a handle: as, a plow-start (or plow-tail).n. The sharp point of a young stag's horn.n. In mining, the beam or lever to which the horse is attached in a horse-whim or gin.n. In an overshot water-wheel, one of the partitions which determine the form of the bucket.n. A stalk, as of an apple.