"jump-start" meaning in English

See jump-start in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: jump-starts [plural], jumpstart [alternative], jump start [alternative]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} jump-start (plural jump-starts)
  1. The process or result of jump-starting a motor vehicle.
    Sense id: en-jump-start-en-noun-2FPLZQa9 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 12 34 34 20 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 14 21 30 35 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 16 25 33 27
  2. (sports) A false start. Synonyms: jumped start, jumped-start, false start, flier, flyer Translations (false start): comienzo antes de tiempo [masculine] (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-jump-start-en-noun-Ny404wc5 Categories (other): Sports, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Terms with Spanish translations, Automotive Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 12 34 34 20 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 14 21 30 35 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 16 25 33 27 Disambiguation of Automotive: 3 24 37 36 Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports Disambiguation of 'false start': 3 97
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: jumper cable

Verb

Forms: jump-starts [present, singular, third-person], jump-starting [participle, present], jump-started [participle, past], jump-started [past], jumpstart [alternative], jump start [alternative]
Head templates: {{en-verb}} jump-start (third-person singular simple present jump-starts, present participle jump-starting, simple past and past participle jump-started)
  1. (transitive) To start a motor vehicle with a discharged ("dead") battery by connecting it with jumper cables to an alternate source of electrical current, generally either the charged battery of another vehicle or a purpose-made device ("hotshot"). Tags: transitive Synonyms: boost Translations (Start a motor vehicle): ponter (French), démarrer par pontage (French), pasar corriente (Spanish), yumpear [Dominican-Republic] (Spanish), yompear [Latin-America] (Spanish), jumpear [Latin-America] (Spanish), jompear [Dominican-Republic] (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-jump-start-en-verb-kNS39pbg Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with French translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Automotive Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 12 34 34 20 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 14 21 30 35 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 18 28 42 12 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 15 24 39 22 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 16 25 33 27 Disambiguation of Automotive: 3 24 37 36 Disambiguation of 'Start a motor vehicle': 98 2
  2. (transitive, figuratively) To reactivate or rejuvenate. Tags: figuratively, transitive Synonyms: boost, reactivate, kick start Translations (to reactivate or rejuvenate): darle un impulso a (Spanish), poner en marcha (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-jump-start-en-verb-KKIS3sLy Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Terms with French translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Automotive Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 12 34 34 20 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 14 21 30 35 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 16 25 33 27 Disambiguation of Automotive: 3 24 37 36 Disambiguation of 'to reactivate or rejuvenate': 4 96

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "jump-starts",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "jump-starting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "jump-started",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "jump-started",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "jumpstart",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "jump start",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "jump-start (third-person singular simple present jump-starts, present participle jump-starting, simple past and past participle jump-started)",
      "name": "en-verb"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "12 34 34 20",
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          "name": "Automotive",
          "orig": "en:Automotive",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To start a motor vehicle with a discharged (\"dead\") battery by connecting it with jumper cables to an alternate source of electrical current, generally either the charged battery of another vehicle or a purpose-made device (\"hotshot\")."
      ],
      "id": "en-jump-start-en-verb-kNS39pbg",
      "links": [
        [
          "motor vehicle",
          "motor vehicle"
        ],
        [
          "battery",
          "battery"
        ],
        [
          "jumper cables",
          "jumper cables"
        ],
        [
          "electrical current",
          "electrical current"
        ],
        [
          "hotshot",
          "hotshot"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To start a motor vehicle with a discharged (\"dead\") battery by connecting it with jumper cables to an alternate source of electrical current, generally either the charged battery of another vehicle or a purpose-made device (\"hotshot\")."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "boost"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
          "word": "ponter"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
          "word": "démarrer par pontage"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
          "word": "pasar corriente"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
          "tags": [
            "Dominican-Republic"
          ],
          "word": "yumpear"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
          "tags": [
            "Latin-America"
          ],
          "word": "yompear"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
          "tags": [
            "Latin-America"
          ],
          "word": "jumpear"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
          "tags": [
            "Dominican-Republic"
          ],
          "word": "jompear"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "12 34 34 20",
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          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
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          "_dis": "16 25 33 27",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "3 24 37 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Automotive",
          "orig": "en:Automotive",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              52,
              62
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Giving a really good speech at the convention could jump-start her political career.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              43,
              53
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2022, NoViolet Bulawayo, Glory, Chatto & Windus, page 262:",
          "text": "‘That debt means we can’t access credit to jump-start the economy as needed.’",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To reactivate or rejuvenate."
      ],
      "id": "en-jump-start-en-verb-KKIS3sLy",
      "links": [
        [
          "reactivate",
          "reactivate"
        ],
        [
          "rejuvenate",
          "rejuvenate"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, figuratively) To reactivate or rejuvenate."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "boost"
        },
        {
          "word": "reactivate"
        },
        {
          "word": "kick start"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "to reactivate or rejuvenate",
          "word": "darle un impulso a"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "to reactivate or rejuvenate",
          "word": "poner en marcha"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "jump-start"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "jump-starts",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "jumpstart",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "jump start",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "jump-start (plural jump-starts)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "jumper cable"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "12 34 34 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
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      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              55,
              65
            ]
          ],
          "text": "I left my headlights on all night. Could you give me a jump-start?",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The process or result of jump-starting a motor vehicle."
      ],
      "id": "en-jump-start-en-noun-2FPLZQa9",
      "links": [
        [
          "process",
          "process"
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        [
          "result",
          "result"
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    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
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          "orig": "en:Sports",
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        {
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          "_dis": "16 25 33 27",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "3 24 37 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Automotive",
          "orig": "en:Automotive",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A false start."
      ],
      "id": "en-jump-start-en-noun-Ny404wc5",
      "links": [
        [
          "sports",
          "sports"
        ],
        [
          "false start",
          "false start"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(sports) A false start."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "jumped start"
        },
        {
          "word": "jumped-start"
        },
        {
          "word": "false start"
        },
        {
          "word": "flier"
        },
        {
          "word": "flyer"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "sports"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "3 97",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "false start",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "comienzo antes de tiempo"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "jump-start"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "en:Automotive"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "jump-starts",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "jump-starting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "jump-started",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "jump-started",
      "tags": [
        "past"
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    },
    {
      "form": "jumpstart",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "jump start",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To start a motor vehicle with a discharged (\"dead\") battery by connecting it with jumper cables to an alternate source of electrical current, generally either the charged battery of another vehicle or a purpose-made device (\"hotshot\")."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
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          "battery",
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        ],
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          "electrical current",
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        ],
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        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To start a motor vehicle with a discharged (\"dead\") battery by connecting it with jumper cables to an alternate source of electrical current, generally either the charged battery of another vehicle or a purpose-made device (\"hotshot\")."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "boost"
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        "transitive"
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            [
              43,
              53
            ]
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          "ref": "2022, NoViolet Bulawayo, Glory, Chatto & Windus, page 262:",
          "text": "‘That debt means we can’t access credit to jump-start the economy as needed.’",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To reactivate or rejuvenate."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "reactivate",
          "reactivate"
        ],
        [
          "rejuvenate",
          "rejuvenate"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, figuratively) To reactivate or rejuvenate."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "boost"
        },
        {
          "word": "reactivate"
        },
        {
          "word": "kick start"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
      "word": "ponter"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
      "word": "démarrer par pontage"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
      "word": "pasar corriente"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
      "tags": [
        "Dominican-Republic"
      ],
      "word": "yumpear"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
      "tags": [
        "Latin-America"
      ],
      "word": "yompear"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
      "tags": [
        "Latin-America"
      ],
      "word": "jumpear"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "Start a motor vehicle",
      "tags": [
        "Dominican-Republic"
      ],
      "word": "jompear"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "to reactivate or rejuvenate",
      "word": "darle un impulso a"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "to reactivate or rejuvenate",
      "word": "poner en marcha"
    }
  ],
  "word": "jump-start"
}

{
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    "Pages with entries",
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    "en:Automotive"
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  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "jump-starts",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
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    {
      "form": "jumpstart",
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        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "jump start",
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        "alternative"
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    }
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  "related": [
    {
      "word": "jumper cable"
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        "English terms with usage examples"
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          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              55,
              65
            ]
          ],
          "text": "I left my headlights on all night. Could you give me a jump-start?",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The process or result of jump-starting a motor vehicle."
      ],
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        [
          "process",
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          "result",
          "result"
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    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Sports"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A false start."
      ],
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        [
          "sports",
          "sports"
        ],
        [
          "false start",
          "false start"
        ]
      ],
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        "(sports) A false start."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "jumped start"
        },
        {
          "word": "jumped-start"
        },
        {
          "word": "false start"
        },
        {
          "word": "flier"
        },
        {
          "word": "flyer"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "sports"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "false start",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "comienzo antes de tiempo"
    }
  ],
  "word": "jump-start"
}

Download raw JSONL data for jump-start meaning in English (5.1kB)

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  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "verb",
  "title": "jump-start",
  "trace": ""
}

{
  "called_from": "page/2530",
  "msg": "skipping string in the middle of translations: </table></div></div>\n\n",
  "path": [
    "jump-start"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "noun",
  "title": "jump-start",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-14 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-02-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 59dc20b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.