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Star Wars

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.

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Also called Strategic Defense Initiative.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for star wars

Star Wars

noun (functioning as singular)

Formal name: Strategic Defense Initiative (in the US) a proposed system of artificial satellites armed with lasers to destroy enemy missiles in spaceAbbreviation: SDI
(modifier; sometimes not capitals) of, relating to, or denoting this systemStar Wars defence; star wars policy

Word Origin for Star Wars

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

Word Origin and History for star wars

Star Wars

n.

name of a popular science fiction film released in 1977; also the informal name for a space-based missile defense system proposed in 1983 by U.S. president Ronald Reagan.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Culture definitions for star wars (1 of 2)

Star Wars

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.

Culture definitions for star wars (2 of 2)

Star Wars

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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.