Meanings
nounheadstarting (uncountable)
- uncountablebiologyA conservation technique for endangered species, in which young animals are raised artificially and subsequently released into the wild.
For example, headstarting programs are attempting to bolster wild populations of critically endangered Caribbean rock iguanas by raising baby iguanas in captivity and releasing them when they’ve grown large enough to avoid being eaten by invasive predators like cats and mongooses.
2022 October 24, Hannah Thomasy, “They May Have Love on Their Lizard Brains”, in The New York Times
Cite this entry
APA
headstarting. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headstarting
MLA
“headstarting.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headstarting. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “headstarting,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headstarting.
Source: headstarting on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.