Standard Lemma guide

starter

noun · 20 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈstɑː.tə(ɹ)/
  • US: /ˈstɑɹ.tɚ/
  • US: [ˈstɑɹ.ɾɚ]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)tə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: S T AA1 R T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone who starts, or who starts something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Someone who starts, or who starts something.

The person who starts a race by firing a gun or waving a flag.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Someone who starts, or who starts something.

A starting pitcher.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: ball-games, baseball, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: golf, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Something that starts something.

An electric motor that starts an internal combustion engine.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Something that starts something.

A device that initiates the flow of high voltage electricity in a fluorescent lamp.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

Something that starts something.

A yeast culture, or a medium containing one, used to start a fermentation process.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mother, sour mash

8

noun

Meaning 8

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: entrée, hors d'oeuvre, appetizer

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: team sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

A dog that rouses game.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

Ellipsis of starter signal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

Topics: rail-transport, railways, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • to make sourdough you need a starter

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: culture

15

noun

Meaning 15

a hand tool consisting of a rotating shaft with parallel handle

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crank

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hand tool

Narrower terms: crank handle, starting handle

16

noun

Meaning 16

an electric motor for starting an engine

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: starter motor, starting motor

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: electric motor

Narrower terms: kick starter, kick start, self-starter

17

noun

Meaning 17

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: appetizer, appetiser

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: course

Narrower terms: antipasto, canape, cocktail, hors d'oeuvre, crudites

18

noun

Meaning 18

any new participant in some activity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: newcomer, fledgling, fledgeling, neophyte, freshman, newbie, entrant

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: novice, beginner, tyro, tiro, initiate

Narrower terms: recruit, enlistee

19

noun

Meaning 19

the official who signals the beginning of a race or competition

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dispatcher

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: official

20

noun

Meaning 20

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: contestant

Narrower terms: starting pitcher

History

Etymology

From start + -er.

Across languages

Translations

92 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: стартер (starter) — someone who starts something
  • Finnish: aloittaja — someone who starts something
  • Finnish: käynnistäjä — someone who starts something
  • Māori: kaitīmata — someone who starts something
  • Portuguese: iniciador — someone who starts something
  • Portuguese: iniciadora — someone who starts something
  • Bulgarian: стартер (starter) — person who starts a race
  • Chinese Mandarin: 發令員 /发令员 (fālìngyuán) — person who starts a race
  • Finnish: lähettäjä — person who starts a race
  • Norwegian Bokmål: starter — person who starts a race
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: startar — person who starts a race
  • Bulgarian: стартер (starter) — something that starts
  • Finnish: käynnistys — something that starts
  • Finnish: aloitus — something that starts
  • Finnish: käynnistin — something that starts
  • Bulgarian: стартер (starter) — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Chinese Mandarin: 起動機 /起动机 — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Chinese Mandarin: 启动机 (qǐdòngjī) — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Chinese Mandarin: 啟動器 /启动器 (qǐdòngqì) — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Czech: startér — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Finnish: käynnistysmoottori — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Finnish: starttimoottori — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Finnish: startti — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • French: démarreur — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • French: starter — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • German: Anlasser — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • German: Starter — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Greek: μίζα (míza) — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Japanese: スターター (sutātā) — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Norwegian Bokmål: startmotor — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Norwegian Bokmål: starter — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: startmotor — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: startar — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Polish: rozrusznik — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Portuguese: partida — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Portuguese: afogador — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Romanian: demaror — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Russian: ста́ртер (stárter) — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Russian: стартёр (startjór) — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Spanish: motor de arranque — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Spanish: estárter — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Spanish: cebador — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Turkish: marş motoru — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Vietnamese: bộ khởi động động cơ — electric motor that starts an internal-combustion engine
  • Bulgarian: стартер (starter) — device that initiates a fluorescent lamp
  • Finnish: sytytin — device that initiates a fluorescent lamp
  • Spanish: cebador — device that initiates a fluorescent lamp
  • Armenian: մակարդ (makard) — yeast culture
  • Finnish: siemen — yeast culture
  • Latvian: ieraugs — yeast culture
  • Bulgarian: but see първоначален (pǎrvonačalen) — something with which to begin
  • Bulgarian: ордьовър (ordjovǎr) — first course of a meal
  • Bulgarian: предястие (predjastie) — first course of a meal
  • Bulgarian: разядка (razjadka) — first course of a meal
  • Catalan: entrant — first course of a meal
  • Catalan: aperitiu — first course of a meal
  • Czech: předkrm — first course of a meal
  • Danish: forret — first course of a meal
  • Dutch: voorgerecht — first course of a meal
  • Dutch: voorafje — first course of a meal
  • Finnish: alkupala — first course of a meal
  • French: hors d'œuvre — first course of a meal
  • French: entrée — first course of a meal
  • Georgian: წამომწყები (c̣amomc̣q̇ebi) — first course of a meal
  • Georgian: თავი (tavi) — first course of a meal
  • German: Vorspeise — first course of a meal
  • German: Vorgericht — first course of a meal
  • Greek: ορεκτικό (orektikó) — first course of a meal
  • Italian: antipasto — first course of a meal
  • Latvian: pirmais ēdiens — first course of a meal
  • Macedonian: предјадење (predjadenje) — first course of a meal
  • Macedonian: ордевер (ordever) — first course of a meal
  • Māori: kumamatanga — first course of a meal
  • Norwegian Bokmål: forrett — first course of a meal
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: forrett — first course of a meal
  • Persian: اردور (ordovr) — first course of a meal
  • Persian: استارتر (estârter) — first course of a meal
  • Portuguese: entradas — first course of a meal
  • Russian: пе́рвое блю́до (pérvoje bljúdo) — first course of a meal
  • Spanish: entrada — first course of a meal
  • Spanish: entrante — first course of a meal
  • Swedish: förrätt — first course of a meal
  • Swedish: entré — first course of a meal
  • Swedish: entrérätt — first course of a meal
  • Turkish: antre — first course of a meal
  • Bulgarian: титуляр (tituljar) — player that a team fields at the beginning of a game
  • Finnish: avauspelaaja — player that a team fields at the beginning of a game
  • French: titulaire — player that a team fields at the beginning of a game
  • Galician: titular — player that a team fields at the beginning of a game
  • Portuguese: titular — player that a team fields at the beginning of a game
  • Spanish: titular — player that a team fields at the beginning of a game
  • Swedish: startspelare — player that a team fields at the beginning of a game
Real reading context

starter in complete knowledge articles