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start

verb [I] (MOVE SUDDENLY)
 
 
/stɑːt/ US  /stɑːrt/

Definition

to move your body suddenly because something has surprised or frightened you: He started at the sound of the phone.Making short, sudden movementsSurprised
(Definition of start verb (MOVE SUDDENLY) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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