nonstarter
noun
non·start·er
| \ ˌnän-ˈstär-tər
\
\
Definition of nonstarter
1
: one that does not start
2
: someone or something that is not productive or effective
his son has been, in politics a nonstarter— Anthony Lejeune
Examples of nonstarter in a Sentence
She's the leading scorer among the team's nonstarters.
Recent Examples on the Web
But tackling our reliance on plastic could be a way to gain some individual control at a time when expecting the government to provide guidance seems like a nonstarter. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "Is It Possible to Live Trash-Free?," 30 July 2019 Later versions that used low-energy Bluetooth or near-field communication worked natively with Android devices but so far have been a nonstarter with iOS users, who complain the devices don't always work reliably. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "I’ll be passing on Google’s new 2fa for logins on iPhones and iPads. Here’s why," 12 June 2019 But in the United States, a ban on the most common suicide method—guns, which accounted for half the suicide deaths in 2017—is a political nonstarter. — Greg Miller, Science | AAAS, "Three suicide prevention strategies show real promise. How can they reach more people?," 22 Aug. 2019 The increase was a nonstarter for AT&T, Stephenson said. — Dallas News, "AT&T CEO says CBS, Nexstar blackouts for DirecTV customers will likely continue," 24 July 2019 Uber and Lyft have made clear in their conversations with labor leaders that full employment status is a nonstarter, according to an industry official. — Noam Scheiber, New York Times, "Debate Over Uber and Lyft Drivers’ Rights in California Has Split Labor," 29 June 2019 Returning to his family in rural Burundi is plainly a nonstarter. — Scott Helman, BostonGlobe.com, "This boy came to Boston for healing. You won’t believe his life now," 19 June 2019 While some would have seen that as a nonstarter, the architect took it as a challenge, eschewing the conventional to create a design that optimized the use of space with vertical interlocking shapes that evoke music; not a sea shanty, but an aria. — Joan Morris, The Mercury News, "Look inside a Palo Alto home that imagines the sea and music," 4 June 2019 President Donald Trump has long demanded $5 billion for the construction of a wall (or other barrier) along the US-Mexico border, a proposal that is a nonstarter with Democrats, who Trump needs in order to pass a bill in the Senate. — Li Zhou, Vox, "Wednesday is day 5 of a partial government shutdown. It could go on for a while.," 26 Dec. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nonstarter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for nonstarter
nonstarter
noun
English Language Learners Definition of nonstarter
informal
: someone or something that will not be effective or successful
US, sports
: a player who is not chosen to play at the beginning of games : a player who is not one of the starters on a team
See the full definition for nonstarter in the English Language Learners Dictionary