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Glite Dictionary
⚡ To energize 🚗 A car start 🚗 To start a car
to jump-start

to jump-start

16 3.8
To make a stopped activity or project begin again with energy
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈdʒʌmpˌstɑrt/
translation icon : impulsar
  • The team held a brainstorming session to jump-start their stalled project.
  • jump-start a sluggish economy
  • jump-start your creativity
  • help jump-start

So, yeah, part of it was really jump started by the move to Harvard.

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Examples

  • Zschau also helped to jump-start Princeton's Entrepreneurship Club, which sponsored an annual business plan contest.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The Hawks used a frenetic defense to force turnovers and jump-start their offense, scoring 25 points off turnovers.

    Blog text (4)

  • You have the power and the resources to jump start this great nation.

  • I need something to look forward to, to jump start my day.

  • Should we be thinking about jump starting a diet right now?

  • That way, we can jump-start your defense.

    Gone Girl (2014)

  • We are trying to jump start a testing laboratory system that just doesn't do this.

  • Though it would have been nice to win, he says the defeat could help jump-start the political movement around copyright reform.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Try them and get a jump-start on your healthier habits before the New Year.

    Blog text (28)

  • If your students are experiencing writer's block, there are several things you can do to jump-start their creativity.

    Academic text (2010)

Synonyms

to start
vsto jump-start
∞ 1.0

To begin an action, event or process

adds vigorous force to revive stalled processes rather than simple beginnings
to revive
vsto jump-start
104 4.2

Make something active or popular again after a time of being forgotten

does this by forcefully restarting stalled work rather than gradual restoration
to restart
vsto jump-start
85 2.3

Start something again after it stops or is interrupted

adds a sense of strong energetic push to make stalled work active again
to reactivate
vsto jump-start
41 4.3

To make something work again after it stopped

does this with vigorous energy aimed at quickly overcoming stagnation
to get off the ground
vsto jump-start
38 4.2

Start a project or business successfully so it begins to work

focuses on energetic reactivation of stalled projects rather than initial success
to start up
vsto jump-start
38 3.0

To make a machine or system begin to work

is focused on energetically restarting stalled activities rather than initial machine operation
to reinvigorate
vsto jump-start
19 5.7

To give new energy and interest to a person or thing

does the same by starting activity anew with vigorous force
to reignite
vsto jump-start
15 4.6

To make an interest, feeling, or activity start again after it stopped

targets energetic restarting of stalled projects rather than only rekindling feelings
to jumpstart
vsto jump-start
9 4.7

To make something begin or become active quickly and with energy

is the same meaning but written with a hyphen
to kick-start
vsto jump-start
8 4.2

Help a project, plan, or the economy begin quickly

focuses on restarting stalled projects with forceful energy
to relaunch
vsto jump-start
7 3.9

To start something again after it stops or after you change it

emphasizes quick forceful restart of stalled activity rather than planned reintroduction
to kickstart
vsto jump-start
4 3.8

To start something quickly and give it extra energy to grow

is aimed at restarting something stalled with strong energy
to reinitiate
vsto jump-start
1 5.9

To start a process or system again after it stopped

implies an energetic, vigorous restart for stalled projects rather than formal repetition

Antonyms

to stall
166 4.3

To delay doing something on purpose to get more time

halt
109 2.3

A stop in movement or activity

How Energetic

to galvanize
39 6.7
to energize
  • US
65 3.7
to jump-start
16 3.8
to reawaken
10 5.1
to restart
85 2.3

Surface Forms

jump-start infinitive
jump-started past
jump-started past participle
jump-starting present participle
jump-starts third person singular

Morphology

jump-start = jump + start (semi-transparent) = jump + start

The metaphorical sense ('give a boost to a stalled project') is clearly motivated by 'jump' + 'start' but is figurative rather than a literal action, so only partly inferable.

Etymology

Jump-start The verb comes from the car trick of giving a dead battery a sudden jump ('a quick push') to make the engine start ('begin'). So, to jump-start a project is to give it a quick, strong push to get it moving again.