star|tling /stɑː r təl I ŋ/ ADJ Something that is startling is so different, unexpected, or remarkable that people react to it with surprise. □ …startling new evidence.
sta rt-up (start-ups )
1 ADJ [ADJ n] The start-up costs of something such as a new business or new product are the costs of starting to run or produce it. [BUSINESS ] □ What is the minimum start-up capital for a Pizza franchise?
2 ADJ [ADJ n] A start-up company is a small business that has recently been started by someone. [BUSINESS ] □ Thousands and thousands of start-up firms have poured into the computer market. ● N‑COUNT Start-up is also a noun. □ For now the only bright spots in the labor market are small businesses and high-tech start-ups.
sta r tu rn (star turns ) N‑COUNT The star turn of a performance or show is the main item, or the one that is considered to be the most interesting or exciting. [mainly BRIT ]
star|va|tion /stɑː r ve I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT [usu of/from N ] Starvation is extreme suffering or death, caused by lack of food. □ Over three hundred people have died of starvation since the beginning of the year.
starve /stɑː r v/ (starves , starving , starved )
1 VERB If people starve , they suffer greatly from lack of food which sometimes leads to their death. □ [V ] A number of the prisoners we saw are starving. □ [V + to ] In the 1930s, millions of Ukrainians starved to death or were deported. □ [V -ing] Getting food to starving people does nothing to stop the war.
2 VERB To starve someone means not to give them any food. □ [V n] They harassed and starved the Native people. □ [V pron-refl] Judy decided I was starving myself.
3 VERB If a person or thing is starved of something that they need, they are suffering because they are not getting enough of it. □ [be V -ed + of ] The electricity industry is not the only one to have been starved of investment.
starv|ing /stɑː r v I ŋ/ ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you say that you are starving , you mean that you are very hungry. [INFORMAL ] □ Apart from anything else I was starving.
stash /stæ ʃ/ (stashes , stashing , stashed )
1 VERB If you stash something valuable in a secret place, you store it there to keep it safe. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n prep] He had stashed cash in two safes in his office. [Also V n]
2 N‑COUNT A stash of something valuable is a secret store of it. [INFORMAL ] □ [+ of ] Police found a stash of guns hidden in a cleaner's cupboard.
sta|sis /stæ s I s, [AM ] ste I -/ N‑UNCOUNT Stasis is a state in which something remains the same, and does not change or develop. [FORMAL ] □ Rock'n'roll had entered a period of stasis.
state ◆◆◆ /ste I t/ (states , stating , stated )
1 N‑COUNT You can refer to countries as states , particularly when you are discussing politics. □ Some weeks ago I recommended to E.U. member states that we should have discussions with the Americans.
2 N‑COUNT Some large countries such as the USA are divided into smaller areas called states . □ Leaders of the Southern states are meeting in Louisville.
3 N‑PROPER The USA is sometimes referred to as the States . [INFORMAL ]
4 N‑SING You can refer to the government of a country as the state . □ The state does not collect enough revenue to cover its expenditure.
5 ADJ [ADJ n] State industries or organizations are financed and organized by the government rather than private companies. □ …reform of the state social-security system.
6 → see state school
7 ADJ [ADJ n] A state occasion is a formal one involving the head of a country. □ The president arrived in Britain last night for his official state visit.
8 N‑COUNT [usu sing] When you talk about the state of someone or something, you are referring to the condition they are in or what they are like at a particular time. □ [+ of ] For the first few months after Daniel died, I was in a state of clinical depression. □ [+ of ] Look at the state of my car!
9 VERB If you state something, you say or write it in a formal or definite way. □ [V n] Clearly state your address and telephone number. □ [V that] The police report stated that he was arrested for allegedly assaulting an officer. □ [V with quote] 'Our relationship is totally platonic,' she stated. □ [V -ed] Buyers who do not apply within the stated period can lose their deposits.
10 → see also head of state , nation-state , police state , welfare state
11 PHRASE If you say that someone is not in a fit state to do something, you mean that they are too upset or ill to do it. □ When you left our place, you weren't in a fit state to drive.
12 PHRASE If you are in a state or if you get into a state , you are very upset or nervous about something. □ I was in a terrible state because nobody could understand why I had this illness.
13 PHRASE If the dead body of an important person lies in state , it is publicly displayed for a few days before it is buried. SYNONYMS state NOUN
1
country: …that disputed boundary between the two countries.