starter — English Dictionary

Noun

1. Someone who starts, or who starts something.

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   The most charitable view taken of them by their colleagues was that, as late starters on the journey away from their Labour past, they had not fully understood that the SDP intended to be something new and not just a Mark II Labour Party […]

2. Someone who starts, or who starts something. The person who starts a race by firing a gun or waving a flag.

3. Someone who starts, or who starts something. A starting pitcher.

4. Someone who starts, or who starts something. A person employed to take new players to the first tee at suitable intervals, and to provide them with caddies and equipment.

5. Something that starts something. An electric motor that starts an internal combustion engine.

6. Something that starts something. A device that initiates the flow of high voltage electricity in a fluorescent lamp.

7. Something that starts something. A yeast culture, or a medium containing one, used to start a fermentation process.

   Broader terms

   mothersour mash

8. Something with which to begin; a first property, etc.

   Examples

   It's small, but it's a good starter house.

9. The first course of a meal, consisting of a small, usually savoury, dish.

   Synonyms

   entréehors d'oeuvreappetizer

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   “Starters are the best things at restaurants,” agrees Chitra Ramaswamy, the restaurant critic for the Scottish edition of the Times, who lives in Edinburgh. […] I would never go to a restaurant and not have a starter.”

10. A player in the lineup of players that a team fields at the beginning of a game.

    Examples

    Goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga wasn’t a starter at Fulham.

11. A dog that rouses game.

12. A short length of rope formerly used for casual chastisement in the Navy.

    Usage

    • UK usage
    • Historical

Noun

1. an electric motor for starting an engine

   Synonyms

   starter motorstarting motor

   Broader terms

   electric motor

2. a contestant in a team sport who is in the game at the beginning

   Broader terms

   contestant

3. the official who signals the beginning of a race or competition

   Synonyms

   dispatcher

   Broader terms

   official

4. any new participant in some activity

   Synonyms

   newcomerfledglingfledgelingneophytefreshmannewbieentrant

   Broader terms

   novicebeginnertyrotiroinitiate

5. food or drink to stimulate the appetite (usually served before a meal or as the first course)

   Synonyms

   appetizerappetiser

   Broader terms

   course

6. a hand tool consisting of a rotating shaft with parallel handle

   Synonyms

   crank

   Broader terms

   hand tool

7. a culture containing yeast or bacteria that is used to start the process of fermentation or souring in making butter or cheese or dough

   Broader terms

   culture

   Examples

   to make sourdough you need a starter