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starter

[ stahr-ter ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a person or thing that starts.
a person who gives the signal to begin, as for a race, the running of a train, bus, elevator, etc.
a device that starts an internal-combustion engine without a need for cranking by hand.
a person or thing that starts in a race or contest:
Only five starters finished the race.
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.
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.
2. sourdough ( def 1 ).
Slang. a shill, as at a gaming table in a casino.
the card turned face up on the stack before the play, as in cribbage, crazy eights, and other card games.

adjective

constituting a basis or beginning:
a starter set of dishes; a starter home.

starter

/ ˈ��ɑː��ə /

noun

a device for starting an internal-combustion engine, usually consisting of a powerful electric motor that engages with the flywheel Formerly called self-starter
a person who organizes the timely departure of buses, trains, etc
a person who supervises and signals the start of a race
a competitor who starts in a race or contest
informal.
an acceptable or practicable proposition, plan, idea, etc
informal.
a person who is willing to engage in a particular activity
a culture of bacteria used to start fermentation, as in making cheese or yogurt
the first course of a meal
modifier designed to be used by a novice
a starter kit
for starters slang.
in the first place
under starter's orders
1. (of horses in a race) awaiting the start signal
2. (of a person) eager or ready to begin

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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

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.

He also holds records for being the youngest Champions League starter, youngest player to score in a knockout game, a quarter-final and now a semi-final.

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And with Glasnow and Blake Snell currently on the IL, they will begin it with just four healthy starters on their active roster.

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But this year, Churchill Downs started penalizing races that do not have enough starters.

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All five of Denver’s starters played at least 42 minutes in Game 4.

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But for Yamamoto, the second-year big leaguer blossoming as one of the sport’s best starters, it was a sign of how far — and how quickly — his young MLB career has progressed.

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Related Words

opener

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

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