| activate |
to cause action in or make active; start. |
| aftershock |
a small earthquake that follows a larger one. Aftershocks start at or near the same place where the first earthquake started. There are often several aftershocks after the first earthquake. |
| aggressive |
mean and unfriendly in one's actions; ready to argue or start fights. [1/2 definitions] |
| an |
another word for a. It is used before words that start with a, e, i, o, or u, or before words that begin with vowel sounds. |
| and so on |
"And so on" means "with more of the same type." It's used when you start a list of something and let your reader or listener imagine the type of things that might follow. If you say "In the closet, there are coats, jackets, and so on," you let your listener imagine other typical things that might be in the closet. They might imagine things like hats, boots, scarves. and umbrellas. |
| around |
When you walk around the lake, you start walking from one spot near the lake and keep walking until you get back to the same spot. [1/11 definitions] |
| attack |
to start working on with energy and determination; tackle. [1/5 definitions] |
| automatic |
When something is automatic, it works by itself. When a machine is automatic, it usually only needs a person to push a button to start it. |
| away |
When someone is three miles away, it means they are three miles from here. If summer vacation is one week away, summer vacation will start one week from now. [1/5 definitions] |
| base1 |
When you base a new thing on another thing, you start from that other thing and build on to it. For example, many film writers base a new movie on a book. [1/6 definitions] |
| battery |
A battery is something that holds electricity. Flashlights, watches, and some toys have small batteries to make them work. Cars have larger batteries to help start their engines. |
| begin |
to do the first step in a process; start. [2/3 definitions] |
| boil1 |
When water in a pot gets very hot and bubbles start to come up from the bottom, we say the water is boiling. When water boils, it changes from a liquid to a gas. If you boil water for a long time, the liquid will disappear because it will change into a gas and go into the air. [2/3 definitions] |
| bolt1 |
When a person or animal bolts, they suddenly start to run away very fast. [1/5 definitions] |
| boot |
to start up by loading the operating system of or giving the first instructions to a computer. [1/4 definitions] |
| brink |
The brink of something is the point just before a major change or event happens or could happen. If a country is on the brink of war, they are very close to being at war. The war could start even today or tomorrow. [1/2 definitions] |
| burst |
When someone moves with a burst of speed, it means that they suddenly make a very quick movement. When there is a burst of song from the birds, it means that the birds suddenly start singing. [1/6 definitions] |
| button |
A button is what you push to make some things work. You often push a button to start a computer or other machine. [1/6 definitions] |
| campaign |
A campaign is a planned action of an army or other fighting force. When an army begins a campaign, they start to carry out plans to achieve a particular goal. [1/3 definitions] |
| capital1 |
Capital is money that people use to try to make more money. For example, if you want to start a business to make money, you need capital to buy things and services that your business will need to get started. [1/4 definitions] |
| cardinal number |
Cardinal numbers are the numbers we use when we count things. When we count, we start off with the cardinal number 1 and keep going. A cardinal number answers the question "How many?" |