nonstarter

[ non-stahr-ter ]

/ nɒnˈstɑr tər /

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noun

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

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Origin of nonstarter

First recorded in 1905–10

Words nearby nonstarter

nonspecific urethritis, nonspecular reflection, nonsporting, non-sporting dog, nonstandard, nonstarter, nonstative, nonsteroidal, nonstick, nonstoichiometric, nonstop

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use nonstarter in a sentence

We very quickly realized that if people talked about right-wing terrorism, it was a nonstarter with them.
Global Right-Wing Extremism Networks Are Growing. The U.S. Is Just Now Catching Up.|by Sebastian Rotella|January 22, 2021|ProPublica
Anything that’s going to weaken or diminish the ability for our law enforcement officers to respond would be a nonstarter for me.
What Republicans Say They’ll Do if They Keep Control of the Board of Supervisors|Jesse Marx|October 20, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Arranging smells in a map-like way may sound like a nonstarter.
Our Mind-Boggling Sense of Smell - Issue 91: The Amazing Brain|Ann-Sophie Barwich|October 14, 2020|Nautilus
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have said that a limited stimulus package, or anything below $2 trillion, is a nonstarter.
Senate Republicans plan vote on COVID stimulus bill. What to expect in the package|Lance Lambert|September 1, 2020|Fortune

This plan has the virtue of relative simplicity, but is considered a nonstarter with Republicans.
As the Sequester Looms, the Outlines of a Solution Emerge|John Avlon|February 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
End the tax-free status of employer health benefits: So many problems with this, I think we can all agree it's a nonstarter.
After the Fiscal Cliff: What do Democrats Want?|Megan McArdle|January 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I know, at this point, that the first option is a nonstarter.
Who’s Skewed Now? Beaten GOP Wakes Up to the Real America|Andrew Romano|November 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But Mitt Romney for president is a nonstarter, despite headquartering his campaign in the North End of Boston.
No Home-Field Advantage for Mitt Romney|John Avlon|June 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Yet even before the document became public, Republicans called it a nonstarter and dead on arrival.
Obama’s 2013 Budget: Perfectly Reasonable, Absolutely Terrible|Daniel Stone|February 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for nonstarter

nonstarter

/ (nɒnˈstɑːtə) /

noun

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

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

nonstarter

Origin of nonstarter

Words nearby nonstarter

Words related to nonstarter

How to use nonstarter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nonstarter