Meaning & use
get a fresh start
Last updated
Meaning
phraseintransitive
to begin again in a new and better way after a difficult period or a failure
Grammar: No object. Often followed by 'in' or 'with' to name the area: get a fresh start in life; get a fresh start with your studies.
Patterns
- get a fresh start
- get a fresh start in something
- get a fresh start with something
After the divorce, she moved to a new city to get a fresh start.
He failed the exam but decided to get a fresh start and study harder next term.
The company got a fresh start after the new manager arrived.
Word forms
| third person singular | gets a fresh start |
|---|---|
| past tense | got a fresh start |
| past participle | gotten a fresh start |
| -ing form | getting a fresh start |
Common combinations
- get a fresh start in life
- After prison, he wanted to get a fresh start in life.
- get a fresh start on something
- Let's get a fresh start on this project tomorrow.
- get a fresh start with someone
- They decided to get a fresh start with each other after the argument.
- a chance to get a fresh start
- The scholarship gave her a chance to get a fresh start.
Synonyms and how they differ
- start over
- Means to begin again from the beginning, often after a failure; it does not always suggest a better or new direction, just a repeat.
- make a fresh start
- Very similar, but 'make' is slightly more formal and focuses on the act of beginning rather than the result of getting.
- turn over a new leaf
- An idiom meaning to change your behavior for the better, often after doing something wrong; it is more about personal reform than a new situation.
Opposites
Word family
- fresh start noun
- A new beginning, often after a failure or a difficult time.
Commonly confused: get a fresh start or start fresh?
get a fresh start vs start fresh
This is a verb phrase meaning 'begin again in a new way'; it is very similar but more informal and often used without 'get': Let's start fresh.
Practice
After losing his job, Tom decided to ___ in a new city.
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'get a fresh start' is intransitive and does not need a preposition here. 'In' would need an object like 'life', 'with' would need a person or activity, and 'on' would need a task or project.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “get a fresh start”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.