A head start is an advantage given to someone at the beginning of a task or competition, or any early advantage that makes success easier to achieve. In a race, younger kids might get a head start by beginning to run before the older kids, giving them extra time to reach the finish line.

But head start applies far beyond sports. If you study vocabulary words the night before a spelling bee, you've given yourself a head start over students who wait until morning. A student who learns multiplication over the summer has a head start when math class begins in the fall. Starting your science fair project in September gives you a head start over classmates who wait until November.

People also use the phrase to mean leaving early: “Let's get a head start on our road trip by leaving at dawn.” Here it means beginning before the normal or expected time to gain an advantage.

A head start only helps if it's used well. Getting extra time on a project doesn't help if those early days are wasted. The real advantage comes from combining the head start with effort and focus.