for starters

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phraseinformal

   Used to introduce the first of several points, reasons, or examples.

   Grammar: Stands at the beginning of a clause, often followed by a comma: For starters, it costs too much.

   Patterns

   • For starters, …
   • … for starters

   For starters, the hotel is miles from the beach.

   For starters, we don't have enough money for a trip this year.

   For starters, you'd need a visa, and that takes weeks.

2. 2phrasefixed phraseinformal

   As a first small amount of food before the main part of a meal.

   Grammar: Comes after a noun or verb and means the same as 'to start with'; it does not name a specific dish.

   Patterns

   • have something for starters
   • something for starters

   We had soup for starters and then roast chicken.

   I'll just have a small salad for starters.

   For starters they brought us olives and bread.

Common combinations

For starters, …

For starters, the tickets are already sold out.

have something for starters

We had garlic bread for starters.

just for starters

Just for starters, think about how much time it will take.

and that's just for starters

The rent is high, and that's just for starters.

for starters, let's …

For starters, let's agree on a date.

Synonyms and how they differ

first of all

Neutral and a little more formal; it lists points without suggesting food or a meal.

to begin with

Similar in meaning and slightly less casual; it can also suggest that something changed later.

to start with

Very close in meaning, but it can also refer to an earlier situation, as in 'To start with, we lived in London.'

Word family

starter noun

A small dish eaten before the main course, or a device that starts an engine.

Commonly confused: for starters or for start? for starters or at first?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “for starters”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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