Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To start (the engine of a motor vehicle) by using a booster cable connected to the battery of another vehicle or by engaging the drivetrain while the vehicle is rolling downhill or being pushed.
- transitive verb Informal To start or reinvigorate (an activity, system, or process).
- noun The act, process, or an instance of starting a motor vehicle by using a booster cable or suddenly releasing the clutch while the vehicle is being pushed.
- noun Informal The act or an instance of starting or setting in motion a stalled or sluggish system or process.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The action or event of jump-starting. For motor vehicles, the jump-starting of an engine is also called a
jump .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To start a
motor vehicle by passing anelectrical current from acharged battery to the discharged battery of the vehicle being started, by means of abooster cable connecting the two batteries. - verb transitive, figuratively To
reactivate orrejuvenate . - noun The
process orresult of jump-starting a motor vehicle.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb start (a car engine whose battery is dead) by connecting it to another car's battery
- verb start or re-start vigorously
- noun starting an automobile engine that has a weak battery by means of jumper cables to another car
Etymologies
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Examples
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Putting words, or key parts of words, together to form new words, as with moonshine or daylight, crossroads or earthquake, but also linebacker, lemonade, and jump-start, comes naturally to speakers of English.
The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010
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Putting words, or key parts of words, together to form new words, as with moonshine or daylight, crossroads or earthquake, but also linebacker, lemonade, and jump-start, comes naturally to speakers of English.
The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010
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Indeed, any time you need a jump-start it is a good idea to have your mechanic test the battery's condition and charge it fully.
Me & My Car 2012
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I like to jump-start Bobby Darin with Looked a lot like Che Guevara/Drove a diesel van.
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A: The general rule is you should drive the car for 15 to 30 minutes after a jump-start to make sure the battery gets a decent charge.
Me & My Car 2012
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Last month, the U.S. Department of Transportation and Democratic Mayor Dave Bing abandoned a roughly $600 million plan to build a light-rail line along a key corridor that supporters had insisted would attract new residents and jump-start economic growth.
Detroit to Reconsider Light-Rail Line Matthew Dolan 2012
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Anybody else have specific words they use to jump-start an impersonation? posted by Deron Bauman in entertainment, language | * | 15 comments comments
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The productivity began with the stimulus package, which was far more than an injection of $787 billion in government spending to jump-start the ailing economy.
Think Progress » McConnell Tries To Insist The GOP Isn’t Obstructionist: ‘It Is Simply Not True’ 2010
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AvalonBay Communities Inc. will break ground Wednesday on a New Jersey apartment project that aims to jump-start the transformation of a shuttered airplane-engine factory into an urban hub.
Stalled Wood-Ridge Hub Tries to Get on Track Dawn Wotapka 2011
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Q: How long/far does one have to drive a car to recharge a dead battery after receiving a jump-start?
Me & My Car 2012
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