starter
part of speech
noun (a starter, starters)
meaning for a pupil
1) (UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ) A small dish eaten as the first part of a meal; in the US called an appetizer. tree →
2) A person who starts a race, or a person or team that begins a game (not a substitute). tree →
3) A device that starts an engine. tree →
4) «For starters» (informal): to begin with; first of all. tree →
5) Something to start with: a starter pack, a conversation starter, a sourdough starter. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life restaurants serve a starter, a main course and a dessert. In maths problems a three-course meal adds the prices. In sport the starter fires the gun; starters play from the beginning. In lessons a «starter» is the short warm-up activity at the start.
examples
- For a starter I'll have the tomato soup. tree →
- The starter costs $5, the main $12 and the pudding $4 — $21 in all. tree →
- The starter fired the gun and the race began. tree →
- He's a starter now, not a sub. tree →
- For starters, your room is a mess. tree →
- The car's starter is broken, so it won't start. tree →
- Our maths starter today was a times-table quiz. tree →
note
In the US «appetizer» is more common for the dish; in the UK «starter». «Non-starter»: an idea with no chance of working.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «starter» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.