STARTER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does starter mean? 

• STARTER (noun)
  The noun STARTER has 7 senses:

1. an electric motor for starting an engine

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

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

4. any new participant in some activity

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

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

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

  Familiarity information: STARTER used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• STARTER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An electric motor for starting an engine

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

starter; starter motor; starting motor

Hypernyms ("starter" is a kind of...):

electric motor (a motor that converts electricity to mechanical work)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "starter"):

kick start; kick starter (a starter (as on a motorcycle) that is activated with the foot and the weight of the body)

self-starter (an electric starting motor that automatically starts an internal-combustion engine)

Holonyms ("starter" is a part of...):

electrical system (equipment in a motor vehicle that provides electricity to start the engine and ignite the fuel and operate the lights and windshield wiper and heater and air conditioner and radio)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("starter" is a kind of...):

contestant (a person who participates in competitions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "starter"):

starting pitcher ((baseball) a pitcher who starts in a baseball game)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The official who signals the beginning of a race or competition

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

dispatcher; starter

Hypernyms ("starter" is a kind of...):

official (someone who administers the rules of a game or sport)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Any new participant in some activity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

entrant; fledgeling; fledgling; freshman; neophyte; newbie; newcomer; starter

Hypernyms ("starter" is a kind of...):

beginner; initiate; novice; tiro; tyro (someone new to a field or activity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "starter"):

enlistee; recruit (any new member or supporter (as in the armed forces))

Derivation:

start (take the first step or steps in carrying out an action)

start (bring into being)

Sense 5

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

appetiser; appetizer; starter

Hypernyms ("starter" is a kind of...):

course (part of a meal served at one time)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "starter"):

antipasto (a course of appetizers in an Italian meal)

canape (an appetizer consisting usually of a thin slice of bread or toast spread with caviar or cheese or other savory food)

cocktail (an appetizer served as a first course at a meal)

hors d'oeuvre (a dish served as an appetizer before the main meal)

crudites (raw vegetables cut into bite-sized strips and served with a dip)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A hand tool consisting of a rotating shaft with parallel handle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

crank; starter

Hypernyms ("starter" is a kind of...):

hand tool (a tool used with workers' hands)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "starter"):

crank handle; starting handle (crank used to start an engine)

Sense 7

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

to make sourdough you need a starter

Hypernyms ("starter" is a kind of...):

culture ((biology) the growing of microorganisms in a nutrient medium (such as gelatin or agar))

 Context examples 

L. citreum is usually nonpathogenic and is commonly found in farming soil; it is used as a starter culture for the fermentation of kimchi.

(Leuconostoc citreum, NCI Thesaurus)

That forty-five dollars is just a starter.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

“It is not twelve o’clock yet. He has certainly been an early starter.”

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

L. mesenteroides is usually nonpathogenic and is used as a starter culture for the fermentation of cabbage during sauerkraut production.

(Leuconostoc mesenteroides, NCI Thesaurus)