star

American  

[stahr] / stɑr /

noun

• stars
  plural

1. any of the heavenly bodies, except the moon, appearing as fixed luminous points in the sky at night.

2. Astronomy. any of the large, self-luminous, heavenly bodies, as the sun, Polaris, etc.

3. any heavenly body.

4. Astrology. a heavenly body, especially a planet, considered as influencing humankind and events.

5. a person's destiny, fortune, temperament, etc., regarded as influenced and determined by the stars.

6. a conventionalized figure usually having five or six points radiating from or disposed about a center.

7. this figure used as an ornament, award, badge, mark of excellence, etc..

   The movie was awarded three stars.

8. Jewelry.

   1. a gem having the star cut.

   2. the asterism in a crystal or a gemstone, as in a star sapphire.

   3. a crystal or a gemstone having such asterism.

   4. star facet.

9. Printing. an asterisk.

10. a person who is celebrated or distinguished in some art, profession, or other field.

11. a prominent actor, singer, or the like, especially one who plays the leading role in a performance.

12. U.S. Military. battle star.

13. U.S. Navy.

    1. a gold or bronze star worn on the ribbon of a decoration or medal to represent a second or subsequent award of the same decoration or medal.

    2. a silver star worn in place of five gold or bronze stars.

14. a white spot on the forehead of a horse.

15. Heraldry. a mullet.

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adjective

1. celebrated, prominent, or distinguished; preeminent.

   a star basketball player; a star reporter.

2. of or relating to a star or stars.

verb (used with object)

• stars,
  present (3rd person singular)
• starred,
  past participle,  past
• starring
  present participle

1. to set with or as with stars; spangle.

2. to feature as a star.

   an old movie starring Rudolph Valentino.

3. to mark with a star or asterisk, as for special notice.

verb (used without object)

• stars,
  present (3rd person singular)
• starred,
  past participle,  past
• starring
  present participle

1. to shine as a star; be brilliant or prominent.

2. (of a performer) to appear as a star.

   He starred in several productions of Shaw's plays.

idioms

1. make someone see stars, to deal someone a severe blow causing the illusion of brilliant streaks of light before the eyes.

   The blow on the head made him see stars, and the next thing he knew he was in the hospital.

2. thank one's lucky stars, to acknowledge one's good fortune; be grateful: Also thank one's stars.

   Instead of complaining about hospital bills she should thank her lucky stars she's still alive.

star British  

/ stɑː /

noun

1. any of a vast number of celestial objects that are visible in the clear night sky as points of light

2. 1. a hot gaseous mass, such as the sun, that radiates energy, esp as light and infrared radiation, usually derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior, and in some cases as ultraviolet, radio waves, and X-rays. The surface temperature can range from about 2100 to 40 000°C See also Hertzsprung-Russell diagram giant star white dwarf neutron star black hole

   2. ( as modifier )

      a star catalogue

3. astrology

   1. a celestial body, esp a planet, supposed to influence events, personalities, etc

   2. (plural) another name for horoscope

4. an emblem shaped like a conventionalized star, usually with five or more points, often used as a symbol of rank, an award, etc

5. a small white blaze on the forehead of an animal, esp a horse

6. Also called: star facet.  any of the eight triangular facets cut in the crown of a brilliant

7. 1. a distinguished or glamorous celebrity, often from the entertainment world

   2. ( as modifier )

      star quality

8. another word for asterisk

9. (often capital) a type of keelboat, designed to be crewed by two people

10. slang:prison a convict serving his first prison sentence

11. to see or seem to see bright moving pinpoints of light, as from a blow on the head, increased blood pressure, etc

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verb

1. (tr) to mark or decorate with a star or stars

2. to feature or be featured as a star

   ``Greed'' starred Erich von Stroheim

   Olivier starred in ``Hamlet''

star Scientific  

/ stär /

1. A large, spherical celestial body consisting of a mass of gas that is hot enough to sustain nuclear fusion and thus produce radiant energy. Stars begin their life cycle as clouds of gas and dust called nebulae and develop, through gravitation and accretion, into increasingly hot and dense protostars. In order to reach the temperature at which nuclear reactions are ignited (about 5 million degrees K), a protostar must have at least 80 times the mass of Jupiter. For most of its life a star fuses hydrogen into helium in its core, during which period it is known as a dwarf star and is classed according to its surface temperature and luminosity (or spectral type) on a continuum called the main sequence in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. When a star exhausts the hydrogen in its core, it typically develops into one of several non-main-sequence forms depending on how massive it is. Smaller stars, with masses less than eight times that of the Sun, become red giants and end their lives, after blowing away their outer layers, as white dwarfs. More massive stars become supergiants and end their lives, after exploding in a supernova, as either a neutron star or a black hole.

2. Any of the celestial bodies visible to the naked eye at night as fixed, usually twinkling points of light, including binary and multiple star systems.

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star Cultural  

1. An object in the sky that sends out its own light, generated by nuclear reactions in its center. There are many billions of stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way.

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star More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing star

• born under a lucky star
• see stars
• thank one's lucky stars

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Discover More

Each star has a definite lifetime and dies when it uses up its supply of fuel. (See black hole, neutron star, supernova, and white dwarf.)

New stars are forming constantly.

All chemical elements heavier than helium are created in the center of stars and are returned to space when the star dies.

Our own sun is a medium-sized star.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• starless
  adjective
• starlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• stars
  plural

Participles

• starring
  present
• starred
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• star
  simple
• stars
  simple
• have starred
  perfect
• has starred
  perfect
• am starring
  progressive
• are starring
  progressive
• is starring
  progressive
• have been starring
  perfect progressive
• has been starring
  perfect progressive

Past

• starred
  simple
• had starred
  perfect
• was starring
  progressive
• were starring
  progressive
• had been starring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will star
  simple
• will have starred
  perfect
• will be starring
  progressive
• will have been starring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of star

First recorded before 900; Middle English sterre, Old English steorra; cognate with Old High German sterra; akin to Old High German sterno, Old Norse stjarna, Gothic stairno, Latin stella, Greek astḗr, Sanskrit stṛ

Explanation

A star twinkles in the night sky. To put it more scientifically, it’s a celestial body of hot gases radiating energy. A star is also a person who dazzles — the star of the show or the star archaeologist. If you're starring in a Broadway show, your name gets top billing — you've got the biggest part or maybe you're the best known performer, the actor people are wild to see, the one with the most "star power." If you believe in fate or astrology, you might "thank your lucky stars" for your good fortune. Star is the same root as the Greek aster, as in asterisk — a star symbol.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

star stars starred starring

The reserve for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever comes off the bench for the latter-day contenders, spelling for star Caitlin Clark and averaging a respectable eight points per game.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

McDuffie and Watson have helped Adams and fellow star receiver Puka Nacua hone their skills.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

But in an era when a single star player’s salary can make up 35% of a team’s payroll, it also means that building a roster has become mind-bendingly complex.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

It has also caught the attention of creators like Melissa Kristin, a TikTok star with more than 900,000 followers, who grew up on MySpace and remembers it as a more personal digital space.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

But now there was a crack through which he could glimpse pinpricks of light, a future that included maybe not meeting a movie star but possibly going to the next Fornax Force movie with Maya-Jade.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Former Strictly Come Dancing stars James and Ola Jordan have confirmed they have separated after more than 20 years of marriage.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Eimbcke says he has no secret technique to obtain wonderful performances from his teen stars; the only strategy that works is to lean into fun.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

As the hulking antenna swivels into action, screens inside the control room light up with the names of objects the radar system detects: stars, satellites and abandoned rocket bodies.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Raleigh’s 2025 breakout established him as one of baseball’s biggest stars, as he carried the Mariners to within one win of the franchise’s first World Series appearance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

He wears a large brass buckle with, I think, tiny stars and CS.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Bright appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, and has starred in films including Ali G Indahouse in 2002 and 2005's Kinky Boots.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

That year, he starred in a short film called “Dating Up,” which is not listed under his IMDb or Wikipedia filmographies.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

The dampening effect of “Wonder Man’s” cancellation aside, Abdul-Mateen, who also starred in Netflix’s “Man on Fire” series this spring, has more on the horizon this year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

She also starred in this year’s “The Drama,” an independent feature that became a surprise hit for A24, grossing over $132 million worldwide.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Trees inside, studded with pink blossoms and starred with lights.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Singer Self Esteem has landed her first major movie role, starring in a film set in 1980s Wales.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

I could easily hail “Howl’s Moving Castle” as a tribute to maturity, especially when placed against other Miyazaki stories starring young heroines setting out on adventures.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

That was the case with 2003’s critically reviled bomb “Gigli” starring a then-engaged Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

“Does this mean I get to work more?” she asks, hungering for starring roles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

The film, starring state COs, was a primer on how not to let inmates manipulate you for their own ends and make a fool or a criminal out of you.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• celebrity
• favorite
• hero
• idol
• name
• superstar