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starter

starter

6 4.2
An official who gives the signal to begin a race
  • noun
  • /ˈstɑːrtər/
: juez de salida
  • At the track meet, the starter shouted 'Go!' as he fired the gun to start the competition.
  • starter pistol
  • starter gun
  • official starter

So at the moment when the starter says on your marks, if you watch me, you see me take a deep breath and then I try to clear my mind and listen.

Examples

  • Number five's rider anticipated the starter's pistol shot, and there were loud groans from the stands.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • All right, time for the starter's gun.

    Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

  • All runners please check in at the starters table.

    Overcomer (2019)

  • Anxious wait while the starter raises his flag.

    Dream Horse (2021)

  • Let's go, Bob!" he yelled, cheering his teammates as the starter's gun sounded.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • The starter raised the flag, signaling the beginning of the race.

  • As the starter pulled the trigger on the starting gun, all the runners took off sprinting.

Synonyms

dispatcher
vsstarter
1 6.0

A person who signals the start of a race, for example by firing a gun

uses a gun or flag to give the race commencement signal
flagman
vsstarter
  • US
1 6.3

An official at a race who uses colored flags to give signals to drivers

focuses specifically on giving the race commencement signal rather than ongoing track instructions

Compounds

non-starter
  • Informal
13 6.7

An idea or plan that has no chance of success

conversation starter
8 3.5

Something that makes people start talking, like a topic or object

self-starter
5 5.6

A person who starts tasks without being told

starter motor
  • Specialized
1 4.0

An electric motor that turns a car engine to start it

self-starter
  • Archaic
1 6.1

A motor that starts an engine by itself

kick starter
  • Specialized
1 4.7

A lever on a motorcycle you push with your foot to start the motor

Surface Forms

starter singular
starters plural

Morphology

starter = start (transparent) = start + er

Agentive '-er' forming the official who starts races; the role is a direct extension of 'start'.

Etymology

The word starter comes from the verb start ('to begin') plus -er ('one who does something'). So a race starter is the official who makes the race begin, for example by firing a gun or waving a flag.