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nonstarter

American  
[non-stahr-ter] / nɒnˈstɑr tər /

noun

  1. an issue, plan, etc., that does not get or deserve to get under way.

nonstarter British  
/ nɒnˈstɑːtə /

noun

  1. a horse that fails to run in a race for which it has been entered

  2. a person or thing that is useless, has little chance of success, etc

"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 nonstarter

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

“That is a nonstarter for the entire industry, whether restrictions be for crude or refined products,” he said.

From MarketWatch

“That is a nonstarter for the entire industry, whether restrictions be for crude or refined products,” he said.

From MarketWatch

Not everything on Mr. Jeffries’s list of demands is a nonstarter.

From The Wall Street Journal

For many California trial attorneys, ideas such as these are nonstarters.

From Los Angeles Times

Polis said, however, that demands for mandatory cuts are a “nonstarter” for Colorado.

From Los Angeles Times

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.