start – English verb conjugation

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to start sb off
Participle: started sb off
Gerund: starting sb off

Cognates

See the 3 cognates of start

Indicative

Subjunctive

Conditional

Imperative

you	start sb off
we	Let's start sb off
you	start sb off

Indicative

Conditional

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

to depart; to separate from

beat it, book, bounce, bug off, bugger off, buzz off, cut one's stick, dash, depart, duck out, exit, get away, get out, go, go away, go out, leave, make tracks, move on, namous, part, piss off, pull up stakes, quit, remove, run along, set forth, set off, set out, sling one's hook, split, start out, take leave, take off, take one's leave, take wing

to take the first step into something

begin, commence, go, inchoate, initiate, open, originate, rock and roll

begin

commence, originate, issue, arise, depart

startle

jerk, jump, spring, bolt, twitch

found

begin, establish, initiate, institute

Antonyms

to finish (something)

begin, commence, continue, execute, inaugurate, launch, maintain, proceed, restart, end

to cease an activity

begin, initiate, persevere, quit

begin

end, finish, terminate, conclude

Additional Information

Phrasal Verbs

Etymology

1. O.E. *steortian, *stiertan, Kentish variants of styrtan "to leap up" (related to starian "to stare"), from P.Gmc. *sturtjan- (cf. O.Fris. stirta "to fall, tumble," M.Du. sterten, Du. storten "to rush, fall," O.H.G. sturzen, Ger. stürzen "to hurl, throw, plunge"), of unknown origin. From "move or spring suddenly," sense evolved by c.1386 to "awaken suddenly, flinch or recoil in alarm," and 1666 to "cause to begin acting or operating." Meaning "begin to move, leave, depart" is from 1821. The connection is probably from sporting senses ("to force an animal from its lair," c.1384). To start something "cause trouble" is 1917, Amer.Eng. colloquial. For starters "to begin with" is 1873, Amer.Eng. colloquial. Starter home is from 1976; starter set is from 1946, originally of china. Starting block first recorded 1937.
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. See: Middle English 'sterten', Dutch 'storten', German, old spelling 'stürzen', Old High German 'sterzan'.

Verbs referencing "start"

French starter, German, old spelling starten, Norwegian, nynorsk starta, Finnish with old forms startata, Ido startar, Danish starte, Norwegian starte, Danish styrte.

Sample Sentences