start over

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start over (third-person singular simple present starts over, present participle starting over, simple past and past participle started over)

1. (idiomatic, transitive, intransitive, US) to begin again; to return to the beginning

   I forgot to save my work, and I had to start over.

   He had to start the game over because he lost his memory card.

   • 1885, “On Timing Races”, in Outing‎, volume 5, page 44:

     If every man in the heat falls down the first ten yards, don't stop your watch under the impression that they will "start over." They won't.

   • 2010, Kathy O'Keefe, Over His Rainbow: A Single Woman's Journey to God's Promise‎:

     I have often heard of God referred to as the potter who gently and carefully shapes our character, but I am also aware that there are times when the potter mashes the clay and starts over.

   • 2012, Susan Miller, After the Boxes Are Unpacked‎:

     The first step in my process of healing was to choose to let go and leave behind any encumbrances that would prevent me from starting over and moving ahead.

   • 2020 July 1, Daniel Puddicombe, “How can heritage lines recover from enforced closures?”, in Rail, page 30:

     The typical business model relies on a line operating intensively from March or April through to September or October, before shutting down during the winter months - at which point essential repairs and maintenance can take place using income accrued during the busy summer months, ahead of the cycle starting over again.