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Star Wars

American

noun

a U.S. weapons research program begun in 1984 to explore technologies, including ground- and space-based lasers, for destroying attacking missiles and warheads.

Star Wars British

noun

Formal name: Strategic Defense Initiative. SDI. (in the US) a proposed system of artificial satellites armed with lasers to destroy enemy missiles in space
(modifier; sometimes not capitals) of, relating to, or denoting this system

Star Wars defence
star wars policy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Star Wars ¹ Cultural

A series of popular science fiction motion pictures created by George Lucas. The first trilogy debuted in 1977 with Star Wars: A New Hope. The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi followed in the 1980s. Prequels, Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, were recently released. The films are noted for combining classic themes of good versus evil with cutting-edge special effects.

Star Wars ² Cultural

A popular name, taken from the title of a film, for the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) of President Ronald Reagan. “Star Wars” involves the development by the United States of a defense in outer space against intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Etymology

Origin of Star Wars

C20: popularly named after the science fiction film Star Wars (1977) by George Lucas

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It's been nicknamed the "Obamalisk" and compared to a Star Wars spaceship and the Eye of Sauron from "The Lord of the Rings".

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

Lucas later returned to the Star Wars franchise, working on The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of the Jedi in 1983.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Successes like "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle" or "Hogwarts Legacy" have been matched by more mixed receptions, such as for "Star Wars Outlaws" from Ubisoft.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

The weekend ticket sales underscore the enduring appeal of Star Wars, which remains among Disney’s top five franchises, producing more than $1 billion in annual retail sales.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

Star Wars trivia was one of my specialties.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023