starter

noun

start·er | \ ˈstär-tər

Definition of starter

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a person who initiates or sets going: such as

a : an official who gives the signal to begin a race

b : one who dispatches vehicles

2a : one that engages in a competition especially : a member of a starting lineup

b : one that begins to engage in an activity or process

3 : one that causes something to begin operating: such as

a : a device for starting an engine especially : an electric motor used to start an internal combustion engine

b : material containing microorganisms (such as yeast) used to induce a desired fermentation

4 : something that is the beginning of a process, activity, or series especially : appetizer

for starters

: to begin with

starter

adjective

Definition of starter (Entry 2 of 2)

: of, relating to, or being an item acquired with the expectation that a more elaborate or sophisticated model will be acquired in the future a starter home

Examples of starter in a Sentence

Noun

The team is playing only five regular starters. The car's starter needs to be replaced.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Morata was not a regular starter under Sarri, and scored five times in the Premier League. — Tales Azzoni, The Seattle Times, "Atletico Madrid signs Alvaro Morata on loan from Chelsea," 28 Jan. 2019 For many image-conscious actresses, the role would be a non-starter, but for Colman, this was ideal. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Olivia Colman Is the Latest British Star to Make it Stateside," 3 Jan. 2019 Perhaps discussions of raising Congressional pay to cover increased housing costs is a non-starter, especially with the dismal public approval ratings for Congress. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a point about housing for Congress," 21 Nov. 2018 Tyler Mahle, the Reds’ most consistent starter for the last month, couldn’t complete three innings. — Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati.com, "Tyler Mahle roughed up, Cincinnati Reds crushed in 19-4 loss to Cleveland Indians," 11 July 2018 San Francisco won the final five games last year after Garoppolo took over as starter and the team rewarded him with a $137.5 million, five-year contract. — Frank Miles, Fox News, "49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo out for the season with knee injury," 24 Sep. 2018 Aurora Christian comes into the 2018 season having to replace graduated Drew Clippert, who has moved on to Brown of the Ivy League after throwing for 7,881 yards in his three-year career as a starter. — Rick Armstrong, Aurora Beacon-News, "Air apparent: Aurora Christian coaches grooming sophomore Ethan Hampton to power passing attack," 14 July 2018 But the reality is Patrick Mahomes might struggle to acclimate to life as a starter. — Pete Grathoff, kansascity, "There is a healthy dose of skepticism nationally about Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs," 12 July 2018 More: Homer Bailey will continue rehab assignment as starter, then join Cincinnati Reds rotation Initially used a starting pitcher, Iglesias has pitched out of the bullpen for the last three seasons. — Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati.com, "Appearing in trade rumors, closer Raisel Iglesias hopes to remain with Cincinnati Reds," 11 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

With the Jetta, VW makes a starter sedan worth having. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "2019 Volkswagen Jetta: Return of the Great Cheap Car," 10 Aug. 2018 The 24-year-old will likely return to a starter role with Norfolk. — Eduardo A. Encina, baltimoresun.com, "Early Orioles notes: David Hess optioned to Triple-A Norfolk; third-round pick Blaine Knight signs," 6 July 2018 Not surprisingly, shortly after their super-quick engagement, Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson decided to take the next step and purchase a starter home mansion together. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Ariana Grande And Pete Davidson's $16 Million NYC Mansion Sounds Insane," 21 June 2018 The Brewers kept the pressure on Colorado starter German Márquez, beginning with Cain’s home run. — Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brewers 5, Rockies 2: Cain ignites offense with lead-off homer, Chacin gets job done," 10 May 2018 Home prices, rent costs, and student loan debt are rising at a faster rate than income while too few starter homes on the market means young people are forced to save for down payments longer than ever. — Anna Orso, Philly.com, "How to buy a house or pay for rent? Mom and Dad might help," 11 Apr. 2018 Miami isn’t a perfect matchup, but Barton’s prices don’t reflect the starter role. — Doug Norrie, SI.com, "NBA DFS Picks for March 20," 20 Mar. 2018 Minor got a $28 million, three-year contract to return to a starter role. — USA TODAY, "Rangers want to add rotation depth, but Yu Darvish unlikely," 16 Jan. 2018 Whether that’s in a multi-inning relief role, similar to last year, or a more conventional starter role remains to be seen. — Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brewers general manager David Stearns focused on pitching as he heads to winter meetings," 8 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'starter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.