1Start (a car with a flat battery) with jump leads or by a sudden release of the clutch while the car is being pushed.
‘he jump-started his old Chrysler’
‘Have you ever been able to jump-start a car that seemed to crank OK but wouldn't start on its own?’
‘A surprising number of optic injuries are caused by bungee cords, sparks from using tools or jump-starting a car, or from flying champagne corks.’
‘He was actually really nice, the way he offered to try to jump-start the car.’
‘The omens didn't look good when the intrepid explorers had to jump-start their old bangers to reach the end of the street.’
‘The first thing you want to remember when jump-starting a car is that a slight possibility of explosion does exist.’
1.1Give an added impetus to (something that is proceeding slowly or is at a standstill)
‘she suggests ways to jump-start the sluggish educational system’
‘These writers do not present the only way to jump-start our sluggish sense of wonder.’
‘The terrorist attack blew a gaping hole in that landscape, but nothing else fundamental has changed in the city's economy - which suggests that a vigorous rebuilding would jump-start the area all over again.’
‘I hope these suggestions will serve to jump-start the maintenance transformation process and provide a fundamental strategy for rethinking and reengineering Army maintenance.’
‘Taking a skills clinic can jump-start your mountain-biking education by compressing a lot of information into one or a few days.’
‘Chill cosmetics in the refrigerator to jump-start sluggish, hot skin.’
‘This, of course, served to jump-start the local automobile industry.’
‘Respondents report that they jump-start strategic initiatives by funding them above normal spending limits.’
‘Brazil, Argentina and other countries in the region jump-started their economies with liberal economic policies.’
‘Gnat came back from her trip supercharged in some odd way - a week with cousins, older cousins, jump-started some portion of her brain.’
‘There's a push on in China to jump-start the semiconductor sector.’
‘He said our role is not to jump-start your campaign and all of a sudden make you competitive.’
‘The occasional high-rep set, however, is an excellent tool for jump-starting a stalled routine and turning up the heat on lukewarm muscles.’
‘The removal of regulatory and other structural impediments to private sector investment could also play a big role in jump-starting the foreign investment drive.’
‘In an effort to jump-start stalled talks, federal mediators have offered binding arbitration to Northwest Airlines and the company's mechanics.’
‘The cut, which would be the Fed's ninth this year in its effort to jump-start a flagging economy, would push short-term rates to their lowest levels in nearly a decade.’
‘The board also established new jobs for seasoned construction pros, including someone to jump-start its stalled and troubled school projects.’
‘The chief of the Taiwan-based foundation visited China in October 1998 in an unsuccessful bid to jump-start the stalled dialogue.’
‘We work in a very open environment to promote a free flow of communication, but this meeting really jump-starts it.’
‘Good nutrition during that period really jump-starts the recovery process.’
‘By cutting back once a month, perhaps as a way of jump-starting a healthier eating plan, you could rid yourself of a lifetime of excess calories.’
noun
1An act of jump-starting a car.
‘a quick jump-start got the jeep running again’
‘What you need is a jump-start, a spark that will get your motor running and take you from zero to 60 as fast as possible.’
‘He asked if the guys could give him a jump-start.’
‘Fuel deliveries and jump-starts also fall into this category.’
‘Flat tire assistance, fuel delivery, lockout service and jump-starts are all included, up to $150 per incident.’
‘The male passengers were asked to get out and help push the bus to give it a jump-start.’
‘Ian Morgan said he changed his vote after Wilson stopped to give his car a jump-start with only 45 minutes left until the polls closed.’
‘A Hounslow man who got into his car to give his relations' car a jump-start, was arrested for drinking and appeared at Feltham court last week.’
1.1An added impetus.
‘the stimulus package is intended to give the economy a jump-start’
‘And they all more or less got their jump-start as a result of the Native Federation of Alberta.’
‘Proponents of the reform said it was needed to put the postal saving system's massive deposits into the hands of private investors and provide a strong jump-start to the economy.’
‘Because the team was so bad, a number of young players got jump-starts on their careers.’
‘Since I want to be fired up 100% of the time, a new perspective is always a great jump-start for me.’
‘That means getting a jump-start for next year over the guys who are in it this year.’
‘But she also hopes that the government - which authorized the work - will give them a jump-start financially as well.’
‘A jump-start on a pro career makes sense - assuming there is a pro career, and this is the area where allowing high school players in the draft gets dicey.’
‘The timing of this legislation could not have been better for the technology industry - an industry that is in dire need of a jump-start in spending.’
‘That will give your preparer a jump-start on filing your return.’
‘Get a jump-start on your competition with some pre-season cross-training.’
‘To give the sweet peas a jump-start on the season, lightly scratch the seed coat with sandpaper and soak the seed in water overnight.’
‘It relies on a 15-play script to give the game a jump-start, but that didn't happen in the first half.’
‘The oxygen is designed to give skin that's tired and sallow a jump-start.’
Are You Learning English? Here Are Our Top English Tips