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.

---

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

---

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

It was preamble, roadmap, consultation, perhaps the starter to the main course, which appears to be the PM's 10-year plan next month.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

He has established himself as a first-choice starter for England and started seven of their eight games at the World Cup.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

The Tampa Bay Rays had just scored four times and were about to hand the ball to Drew Rasmussen, the most dominant starter in the major leagues over the past three months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

In Pittsburgh, starter prices had jumped 5%, beating the upper end of the market’s 2.6% growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

The starter counted down from ten, down to three, down to two, down to one.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

In 1934, when two undefeated teams, New York University and City College of New York, played, nine of the 10 starters were Jewish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

For starters, a lot of thought and time probably went into that spreadsheet.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026

For starters, the 46-year-old billionaire was confined to house arrest on his 300-acre Oxfordshire estate in England, fighting off a Swiss extradition request tied to an international money-laundering probe.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

Aaron Donald and Braden Fiske are the remaining starters, and Tyler Davis, Larrell Murchison and Ty Hamilton will assume larger roles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

The sheriff said, “That’s jus’ for starters, sir.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• opener

---