Learn English – What does “Alice started to her feet” mean

meaning-in-contextverbs

In the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, what does “Alice started to her feet” mean?

… But when the rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet…

Best Answer

It means she suddenly stood up or jumped to her feet, probably in amazement.

EDIT

According to the OED, start could mean:

3 [ no obj. ] jerk or give a small jump from surprise or alarm: ‘Oh my!’ she said, starting. • [ no obj., with adverbial of direction ] literary move or appear suddenly: she had seen Meg start suddenly from a thicket.

Related Topic