star turn
Americannoun
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the leading performer or act in a play, review, film, or the like.
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a bravura performance by a featured player or act.
Etymology
Origin of star turn
First recorded in 1905–10
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.
The kid from Tashkent who was once the second-youngest grandmaster in history is finally having his star turn.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
If “One Battle After Another” made you hungry for more Benicio Del Toro, his star turn in Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme” is a hearty meal.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
His star turn at Davos pushed his approval rating up to 60%, according to Canada’s Angus Reid Institute.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
Hernández’s humility about the star turn has been noticed.
From Salon • Dec. 28, 2025
His musical efflorescence was tragically brief, but this is the man who turned the chord-strumming, jobbing electric guitar into a high-wire, virtuoso lead instrument, from also-ran to star turn.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.