How to Use nonstarter in a Sentence

nonstarter

noun
  • She's the leading scorer among the team's nonstarters.
  • So the idea of going to tabloids in the U.K. was kind of a nonstarter.
    Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2023
  • But even that has so far proved to be a nonstarter with the rebels.
    Annie Karni, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
  • Even one Kings player sees James-to-the-Kings as a nonstarter.
    Michael McGough, sacbee, 25 June 2018
  • That was a nonstarter for most of the Blue and White leadership.
    BostonGlobe.com, 21 Nov. 2019
  • But the idea of trading land for peace remains a nonstarter in Kyiv.
    Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2022
  • That would be a nonstarter with his parents, but the teacher had an idea.
    John D'anna, The Arizona Republic, 20 June 2021
  • That’s a nonstarter, and there’s a good chance that will continue to be a nonstarter.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 May 2024
  • The increase was a nonstarter for AT&T, Stephenson said.
    Dallas News, 24 July 2019
  • For the longest time, Democrats outside the state saw the effort to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom as a nonstarter.
    Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2021
  • For a girl far too concerned about the appearance of things, the headband was a nonstarter.
    Liz McDaniel, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2019
  • Focus on the problem and the why rather than the solution and the how — the latter is a nonstarter in any sales training.
    Susan Akbarpour, Forbes, 2 Sep. 2021
  • Given all this, any new research of this brain area, seemed like a nonstarter.
    Nico U.f. Dosenbach, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2023
  • Of course, bathrooms are often dim, which might seem a nonstarter for plants.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, WSJ, 8 Feb. 2022
  • For those with a disability, the event may seem like a nonstarter.
    Catharine Hamm, latimes.com, 11 July 2019
  • House Democrats have called such requirements for health care and food aid a nonstarter.
    Lisa Mascaro, Seung Min Kim, Kevin Freking, BostonGlobe.com, 26 May 2023
  • Dizzy Dancer was declared a nonstarter in the chart and Seau was declared scratched with the notation: (gate).
    John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2019
  • Well, Jon, first of all, these documents being out of place for six years is a nonstarter.
    ABC News, 15 Jan. 2023
  • The maps are a nonstarter with the two Democrats, the Sykses, and likely would trigger lawsuits from voting-rights groups.
    Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 14 Sep. 2021
  • For all respect in the world for the Treasury Secretary, that was a complete nonstarter.
    Alana Abramson, Time, 18 Apr. 2020
  • But Scott, the key GOP negotiator, says that’s a nonstarter.
    Gabriel T. Rubin, WSJ, 21 May 2021
  • For Burnt Ranch, passing a local bond is a nonstarter, because the district’s tax base is so small.
    Ricardo Cano, SFChronicle.com, 27 Dec. 2019
  • And for the former NGS employees, the option to pick up and move off the reservation to make a living was a nonstarter.
    Nick Martin, The New Republic, 5 Jan. 2021
  • But to many in the Arab world, the idea of a Palestinian exodus pouring into Sinai is a nonstarter.
    Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 12 Dec. 2023
  • Now the Smith sits serenely and uncaromed on the lawn, where skateboarding is a nonstarter.
    Susan Dunne, courant.com, 9 July 2018
  • For folks who may be sensitive or have skin allergies, this is a bit of a nonstarter.
    Christopher Michel, Country Living, 3 Apr. 2023
  • The players were seeking a $240 million pool without hard slots, which was a nonstarter.
    Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2022
  • Texas Democrats, meanwhile, argued that voter fraud hasn’t been an issue in the state for years — making the bill a nonstarter.
    Raga Justin, Dallas News, 29 July 2021
  • Agreeing to that upfront is almost certainly a nonstarter for Israel.
    Joshua Keating, Vox, 8 May 2024
  • That is by definition a nonstarter for any negotiation.
    Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 7 June 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonstarter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: