start·er /ˈstɑːtə $ ˈstɑːrtər/ ●●○ noun [countableC] 1 DF British EnglishBrE a small amount of food eaten at the start of a meal before the main part 〔一顿饭的〕第一道菜,开胃小吃 SYN American English appetizer We had soup as a starter, followed by steak. 我们的第一道菜是汤,接下来是牛排。
2 DSa person, horse, car etc that is in a race when it starts 〔赛跑、赛马、赛车等的〕参赛者 [马,汽车等] Of the seven starters, only three finished the race. 参赛的七名选手中,只有三名跑完全程。
3 DSsomeone who gives the signal for a race to begin 〔赛跑的〕发令员 The starter fired his gun. 发令员鸣枪了。
under starter’s orders (=about to begin the race) 等待开始的号令,准备起跑
4. late starter British EnglishBrE someone who begins doing something, especially a job, later in life than people generally do 〔工作等〕起步晚的人 5 for starters spoken informalFIRST used to emphasize the first of a series of facts, opinions, questions etc 首先,第一,作为开头 Well, for starters, you’ll need to fill out an application form. 嗯,首先,你需要填一张申请表。
→ nonstarter, self-starter