Meaning & use
start line
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Meanings
nouncountablesport
The marked line from which runners, riders or drivers begin a race.
Grammar: Countable, often used with at or on: at the start line.
Patterns
- line up at the start line
- cross the start line
The runners gathered at the start line before the gun.
She stepped over the start line a fraction too early.
A banner hung above the start line of the marathon.
nouncountablefigurative
The point at which a project or process begins, especially when thinking about how far someone has to go.
Grammar: Usually used figuratively, often in the phrase back at the start line.
Patterns
- be back at the start line
- reach the start line
After the failed test, we were back at the start line.
Many small businesses never even reach the start line.
Fair funding lets all students begin from the same start line.
Word forms
| plural | start lines |
|---|
Common combinations
- at the start line
- The cyclists waited at the start line.
- cross the start line
- Over a thousand runners crossed the start line together.
- line up on the start line
- Please line up on the start line in your lanes.
- false start at the line
- He was disqualified for a false start at the line.
- mark the start line
- Officials marked the start line with white paint.
Synonyms and how they differ
- starting line
- Starting line means exactly the same and is slightly more common in everyday speech.
- starting point
- Starting point is a general place or idea from which something begins, not only a race.
- scratch line
- A scratch line is a term from athletics and some games, usually where a competitor must stay behind before an event.
- starting gate
- A starting gate is a physical barrier used in horse racing or skiing, rather than a painted line.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: start line or finish line?
start line vs finish line
The finish line is where a race ends, while the start line is where it begins.
Practice
The official told the runners to wait behind the ___ until the signal.
Choose one answer.
The start line is where a race begins, so runners wait behind it. The finish line is at the end, and sideline and headline are unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “start line”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.