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starlight

American  
[stahr-lahyt] / ˈstɑrˌlaɪt /

noun

  1. the light emanating from the stars.


starlight British  
/ ˈstɑːˌlaɪt /

noun

  1. the light emanating from the stars

"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

adjective

  1. of or like starlight

  2. Also: starlit. illuminated by starlight

"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

Etymology

Origin of starlight

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at star, light 1


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.

See Examples For:

In “An American Dream” you say, “We blew through starlight on bricklayers’ knees.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Even extremely small vibrations or pointing errors could allow unwanted starlight to leak into an image and overwhelm the much dimmer planets scientists hope to detect.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

The dark nebula is made from interstellar dust dense enough to block starlight and is 650 light years away.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Roman can focus starlight into an easy-to-cover pinprick with tremendous precision.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Then I can make out the shape of the high windows and a smudge of starlight.

From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick

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