Star Wars

American  

noun

1. 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

1. Formal name: Strategic Defense Initiative.   SDI.  (in the US) a proposed system of artificial satellites armed with lasers to destroy enemy missiles in space

2. (modifier; sometimes not capitals) of, relating to, or denoting this system

   Star Wars defence

   star wars policy

---

Star Wars ¹ Cultural  

1. 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  

1. 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

Obama himself has poked fun at the Star Wars comparisons, appearing in a video with actor Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, with the museum towering over them.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

Marcia Lucas, the Oscar-winning editor of the original Star Wars film, has died aged 80.

From BBC • May 30, 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 returned to theaters at the top of the box-office charts after a seven-year absence, but it didn’t quite hit lightspeed.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026

“Like when people were camped out for days for that last Star Wars movie.”

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman