How to Use nonstarter in a Sentence

nonstarter

noun
  • She's the leading scorer among the team's nonstarters.
  • That is just a flat nonstarter.
    — Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
  • This is could be a nonstarter for many gamers.
    — Matthew Buzzi, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
  • But even that has so far proved to be a nonstarter with the rebels.
    — Annie Karni, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
  • Democrats in the Senate say the bill is a nonstarter.
    — Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
  • That was a nonstarter for China for months.
    — Alayna Treene, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
  • That would be a nonstarter with his parents, but the teacher had an idea.
    — John D'anna, The Arizona Republic, 20 June 2021
  • Given all this, any new research of this brain area, seemed like a nonstarter.
    — Nico U.f. Dosenbach, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2023
  • That’s going to be a nonstarter for many people.
    — Steve Kovach, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Of course, bathrooms are often dim, which might seem a nonstarter for plants.
    — Yelena Moroz Alpert, WSJ, 8 Feb. 2022
  • But your chargeback would have been a nonstarter because of the length of time elapsed.
    — Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
  • In any case, scuttling the deal—a nonstarter to begin with—is no way to build trust.
    — Fred Kaplan, Slate Magazine, 22 Sep. 2017
  • That may be a nonstarter for the United States.
    — Dan Mangan,kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2026
  • But the idea of trading land for peace remains a nonstarter in Kyiv.
    — Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2022
  • Menin has also said that a property tax hike is a nonstarter.
    — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
  • 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
  • That’s a nonstarter, and there’s a good chance that will continue to be a nonstarter.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 May 2024
  • And because nerve agents kill so quickly, any treatment that takes hours to work is a nonstarter.
    — Ian Haydon, Scientific American, 11 Apr. 2017
  • Hochul has said personal income tax hikes are a nonstarter.
    — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
  • That was a nonstarter for most of the Blue and White leadership.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 21 Nov. 2019
  • For a girl far too concerned about the appearance of things, the headband was a nonstarter.
    — Liz McDaniel, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2019
  • Even one Kings player sees James-to-the-Kings as a nonstarter.
    — Michael McGough, sacbee, 25 June 2018
  • Bringing youth together in the name of peace-building alone would be a nonstarter.
    — Lindsey McGinnis, Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2025
  • Well, Jon, first of all, these documents being out of place for six years is a nonstarter.
    — ABC News, 15 Jan. 2023
  • Proposals such as offering free parking one or more days per week are nonstarters.
    — Judy Gradwohl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Of course, asking for the tweets to be removed would mean upsetting Trump, and that’s a nonstarter.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
  • 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
  • Donating the building to the club or any other nonprofit is a nonstarter.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
  • Now the Smith sits serenely and uncaromed on the lawn, where skateboarding is a nonstarter.
    — Susan Dunne, courant.com, 9 July 2018

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.

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