jump-start
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Starting an automobile engine that has a weak battery using jumper cables to another car.
Pronunciation
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Starting an automobile engine that has a weak battery by means of jumper cables to another car
“My battery was dead so I had to get a jumpstart from my neighbor.”
verb
Start or re-start vigorously
“The Secretary of State intends to jumpstart the Middle East Peace Process.”
Start (a car engine whose battery is dead) by connecting it to another car's battery
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Typical Use
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Starting an automobile engine that has a weak battery by means of jumper cables to another car
Used this way, jump-start is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Startingnoun
“My battery was dead so I had to get a jumpstart from my neighbor.”
Startverb
“The Secretary of State intends to jumpstart the Middle East Peace Process.”
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.