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Synonyms

starter

American  
[stahr-ter] / ˈstɑr tər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that starts.

  2. a person who gives the signal to begin, as for a race, the running of a train, bus, elevator, etc.

  3. a device that starts an internal-combustion engine without a need for cranking by hand.

  4. a person or thing that starts in a race or contest.

    Only five starters finished the race.

  5. Also called starter culture.  a culture of bacteria used to start a particular fermentation, as in the manufacture of cheese, buttermilk, sour cream, etc.

  6. Also called sourdough starter. 

    1. a mixture of water and flour left to ferment over several days to create dough for sourdough bread.

    2. sourdough.

  7. Slang. a shill, as at a gaming table in a casino.

  8. the card turned face up on the stack before the play, as in cribbage, crazy eights, and other card games.

adjective

  1. constituting a basis or beginning.

    a starter set of dishes; a starter home.

idioms

  1. for starters, as the first step or part; initially; first.

    We will have soup for starters. For starters, he doesn't even know how to drive.
starter British  
/ ˈstɑːtə /

noun

  1. a device for starting an internal-combustion engine, usually consisting of a powerful electric motor that engages with the flywheel Formerly called self-starter

  2. a person who organizes the timely departure of buses, trains, etc

  3. a person who supervises and signals the start of a race

  4. a competitor who starts in a race or contest

  5. informal an acceptable or practicable proposition, plan, idea, etc

  6. informal a person who is willing to engage in a particular activity

  7. a culture of bacteria used to start fermentation, as in making cheese or yogurt

  8. the first course of a meal

  9. (modifier) designed to be used by a novice

    a starter kit

  10. slang in the first place

    1. (of horses in a race) awaiting the start signal

    2. (of a person) eager or ready to begin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of starter

First recorded in 1530–40; start + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At right-back, Lucy Bronze, 34, has been England's undisputed starter for the best part of a decade - but how long can she keep playing?

From BBC

“If you look at how we ramp up our starters ... that’s going to be hard to get to before Opening Day,” Roberts said.

From Los Angeles Times

The starters are likely to play half the game.

From Los Angeles Times

Arsenal have got to be careful they don't warm up in the Chelsea half again, for starters.

From BBC

For starters, the broader market is looking a little shaky.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.