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View synonyms for

starter

[ stahr-ter ]

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 start·er cul·ture [stahr, -ter kuhl-cher]. a culture of bacteria used to start a particular fermentation, as in the manufacture of cheese, buttermilk, sour cream, etc. mother 2.
  6. Also called sour·dough star·ter [souuhr, -doh stahr-ter, sou, -er-].
    1. a mixture of water and flour left to ferment over several days to create dough for sourdough bread.
  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.

starter

/ ˈɑːə /

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. for starters slang.
    in the first place
  11. under starter's orders
    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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of starter1

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

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

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

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

His full potential wasn’t unleashed until the third game of last season, when he became a starter as part of a lineup change that involved moving fellow linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo to edge rusher.

From

That could also include the starter at small forward.

From

For starters, Delhi has swiftly taken a series of retaliatory steps: closing the main border crossing, suspending a critical water-sharing treaty, and expelling diplomats.

From

Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart proved themselves to be worthy starters when injuries decimated the secondary.

From

He contributed his starter pack because "like many artists who use their real hands", he was "tired" of the deluge of AI-generated doll images.

From

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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.

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