- (especially British English) (North American English usually appetizer)a small dish of food that is served before the main course of a meal
- This dish serves 4–6 people as a starter.
- I’ve chosen a hot starter.
- This dish can be served as a starter or a main course.
Collocations RestaurantsRestaurantsEating outTopics Cooking and eatingb1- eat (lunch/dinner)/dine/meet at/in a restaurant
- go (out)/take somebody (out) for lunch/dinner/a meal
- have dinner/lunch/a meal with somebody
- make/have a reservation (in/under the name of Yamada)
- reserve/ (especially British English) book a table for six
- ask for/request a table for two/a table by the window
- wait to be seated
- show somebody to their table
- sit in the corner/by the window/at the bar/at the counter
- hand somebody/give somebody the menu/wine list
- open/read/study/peruse the menu
- the restaurant has a three-course set menu/a children’s menu/an extensive wine list
- taste/sample/try the wine
- the waiter takes your order
- order/choose/have the soup of the day/one of the specials/the house (British English) speciality/(especially North American English) specialty
- serve/finish the first course/the starter/the main course/dessert/coffee
- complain about the food/the service/your meal
- enjoy your meal
- pay/ask for (especially British English) the bill/(North American English) the check
- pay for/treat somebody to dinner/lunch/the meal
- service is (not) included
- give somebody/leave (somebody) a tip
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- cold
- hot
- delicious
- …
- eat
- have
- choose
- …
Definitions on the go
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- a person, horse, car, etc. that is in a race at the beginning
- Only 8 of the 28 starters completed the course.
- a person who gives the signal for a race to start
- the starter’s gun
- a device used for starting the engine of a vehicle
- the starter button
- a starter motor
- a person who begins doing a particular activity in the way mentioned
- He was a late starter in the theatre (= older than most people when they start).
- a slow starter
- (often used as an adjective) something that is intended to be used by somebody who is starting to do something
- a starter home (= a small home for somebody who is buying property for the first time)
- a starter kit/pack
Idioms
See starter in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryfor starters
- (informal) used to emphasize the first of a list of reasons, opinions, etc., or to say what happens first
- There are a number of problems—for starters, where is the money coming from?
- The winners will be flown to Paris—and that’s just for starters.
under starter’s orders
- (of a runner, rider, etc.) waiting for a signal to start a race
Check pronunciation:
starter