start-n; 6 Senses

Sense Number 1: moment of beginning

Commentary: START[+event] The most common sense. The event of starting, in a fairly general way, either with or without an causal agent. Think of this as the moment at which something begins.

Examples:
I knew from the start that we were a perfect couple.
I got my start in Hollywood because my uncle was a director.
The pitcher had over a hundred starts in his career.
The exact start of the war was hard to pinpoint.
We got a late start on the day.
The play always has a ten o'clock start.
He was responsible for the start of negotiations.

Mappings:
PropBank: start.01
WordNet 2.0 Sense Numbers: 1 2 3 5

Sense Number 2: first part

Commentary: The first section of something.

Examples:
The start of the race was full of hills.
I thought the start of the movie was a little boring.

Mappings:
PropBank: start.01
WordNet 2.0 Sense Numbers: -

Sense Number 3: starting place

Commentary: Refers to a location, not a moment in time. The place at which something begins.

Examples:
We're only about a mile from the start.
The start of the race was located in a cornfield.
The start line had been painted on the ground.

Mappings:
WordNet 2.0 Sense Numbers: 6

Sense Number 4: involuntary motion

Commentary: START[+event] A term that describes a bodily motion, usually indicating surprise or some strong emotion. A little jump.

Examples:
John awoke from his nightmare with a start.
She gave a start when I touched her on the shoulder.

Mappings:
PropBank: start.03
WordNet 2.0 Sense Numbers: 4

Sense Number 5: amount of head start

Commentary: START[+event] The advantage that is gained by starting before others do. A kind of possession that a person can have; it can have a definite size.

Examples:
John only won because he got a head start.
With an hour's start on us, they'll be hard to catch.

Mappings:
PropBank: start.01
WordNet 2.0 Sense Numbers: 8

Sense Number 6: starting signal

Commentary: START[+event] The thing that is used to begin an event, usually a race.

Examples:
The start for the race was a loud electronic beep.

Mappings:
PropBank: NM
WordNet 2.0 Sense Numbers: 7