starter

American  

[stahr-ter] / ˈstɑr tər /

noun

starters plural

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.

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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

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

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• starters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of starter

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

starter starters

He averaged a career-high 10.2 points last season in 56 games, 13 as a starter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Junior quarterback Koa Malau’ulu, in his third year as a St. John Bosco starter, has new bulging biceps from his many hours in the weight room.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

Call it nonna-stalgia—a culinary offshoot of the “grandmacore” aesthetic that has Gen Z picking up knitting needles, gardening gloves and sourdough starter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Given the going rate for midfielders, Newcastle would be in a strong position to command a premium for the Brazil starter, far more than the £60m mooted.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

“Thought so. You need a better camera. That one’s fine for a starter, or for birthday parties and Christmas. Not for you.”

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Spain, meanwhile, has allowed just one goal all tournament and proven that the guys it can bring off its bench are better than the starters on practically any other team in the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

For the second straight game, all five starters scored in double digits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

Following the convincing 3-0 victory over Czechia while resting some starters, the atmosphere on the Mexican team has been very relaxed, with several videos showing the players joking around with each other.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

That means don’t shoot at them, for starters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

“Well, for starters, I’ll be going to the white high school this year. I was speechless. I squeezed the phone in my hand. “Are you sure you wanna do that?”

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

Related Words

• opener