started the year strong

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "started the year strong" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe a positive beginning to a new year, often in a personal, professional, or business context. For example, "Our team started the year strong by exceeding our sales targets in January." Alternative expressions include "began the year well" and "kicked off the year successfully."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Reference

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

“We started the year strong with the successful acquisition of ACS and solid performance in revenue, operational improvements and cash generation,” said Ursula Burns Ursula Burns, Xerox's chief executive.

Forbes

The studio started the year strong with "The Lorax," "Contraband" and "Safe House," but saw "The Five-Year Engagement" stumble in April before "Battleship" washed ashore this weekend.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

"Starting the year strong for this team is really important," said Button, who finished last year second over all.

The New York Times

Everyone wants to start the year strong; unfortunately, most people don't really know where to begin.

Forbes

To address these issues in my company, I take small but significant steps to ensure I start the year strong and off on the right foot.

Forbes

Matsuoka has started the year off strong, medaling in five of the team's six matches.

Los Angeles Times

Trinidadian author V.S. Naipaul started the year out strong by claiming that "women writers are different, they are quite different.

HuffPost

"It works out for us because we get most of our points from doubles". La Cañada Coach Will Moravec said his doubles teams started out the year strong and have come on even stronger after he tried mixing up his doubles teams against Arcadia on Sept. 26.

Los Angeles Times

The industry started the year on a strong note amid soaring enthusiasm for fast-rising Internet companies like Facebook and Groupon.

The New York Times

"We have started the year on a strong note, and we intend to continue gaining sales momentum as our new 2011 models hit dealer showrooms during this first quarter".

The New York Times

Though some people started the year hoping for stronger results, economists say that the slow pace of growth should have been expected.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In sports journalism, apply this to athletes or teams who exceed expectations in their first few appearances of a new season.

Common error

While "strong" is used here as a flat adverb and is widely accepted, some extremely formal academic contexts might prefer the more traditional adverbial form "started the year strongly". Always consider your audience's tolerance for idiomatic business English.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "started the year strong" functions as a transitive verb phrase where "strong" acts as a flat adverb. According to Ludwig AI, it is a correct and widely used expression to describe an initial period of success.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Formal & Business

25%

Sports

10%

Less common in

Science

2%

Academic

2%

Encyclopedias

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "started the year strong" is a robust and effective phrase for summarizing early success. Ludwig AI confirms its status as a standard expression in professional and journalistic writing. While variations like "started the year strongly" exist, the flat adverb version is predominantly used in headlines and business communications. It is most frequently found in high-authority news sources describing economic or athletic milestones, making it a safe and reliable choice for most writing contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

made a strong start to the year

Uses a noun-based construction for a slightly more formal tone

kicked off the year successfully

Uses the idiomatic verb 'kicked off' to emphasize the beginning

started the year in a strong position

Focuses on the situational advantage rather than just performance

started the year on a high note

Uses a musical idiom to convey a positive beginning

got the year off to a great start

A more conversational but very common structure

opened the year with strong momentum

Frequently used in business contexts to describe continuous progress

began the year well

A simpler, more direct alternative using a standard adverb

hit the ground running this year

An idiom emphasizing immediate activity and success

commenced the year strongly

Increases formality significantly with the verb 'commenced'

launched the year successfully

Often used for specific programs, initiatives or product timelines

FAQs

How do I use "started the year strong" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe business performance, as in: "The company "started the year strong" with a 20% increase in Q1 revenue".

What is a more formal way to say "started the year strong"?

A more formal alternative would be "commenced the year in a robust fashion" or "made a significant initial impact".

Can I say "started the year strongly" instead?

Yes, ""started the year strongly"" is also correct and follows traditional grammar rules for adverbs, though it is slightly less common in news headlines.

What is the opposite of "started the year strong"?

The antonym would be "started the year slowly" or "had a weak start to the year".