superstar
Americannoun
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superstars
plural
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a person, such as a performer or athlete, who enjoys wide recognition, is esteemed for exceptional talent, and is eagerly sought after for their services.
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any very prominent or successful person or thing.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of superstar
Explanation
A superstar is someone who's either very famous or extremely good at what they do. Legendary baseball player Babe Ruth was the first person called a superstar in print, around 1920. You might think of a superstar as a popular musician, like Taylor Swift, or maybe a famous actor or well-known athlete. It's true, Jackie Chan and LeBron James and Serena Williams all qualify as superstars, but if you're really good at what you do, you're a superstar too. If your brownies are the most delicious your family has ever tasted, you're a superstar baker.
Vocabulary lists containing superstar
Willie Mays (1931–2024) Tribute List
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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:
On tour with Mars, she even took over a kitchen at London’s Wembley Stadium and made a batch for the pop superstar and his band.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
There was a split in the club's superstar squad.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The couple’s decision to part ways with the home comes just one year after they bought it back from tennis superstar Naomi Osaka for $7.9 million—three years after selling the property to her.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
The Canadian superstar took to the runway at the end of L'Oreal's annual show, emerging in a sleek black gown to rapturous applause at one of the fashion calendar's most glamorous openings.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
—Well, he was no superstar to begin with.
From "Tears of a Tiger" by Sharon M. Draper
Prolific costume designer Bob Mackie, whose dynamic sparkling and fringed creations dressed pop culture superstars such as Cher, Diana Ross, Dolly Parton, Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus, has died.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Eder Maestre's side showed they are not just a starting XI of superstars but a team who may gel quicker than many expected.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Beyond Ryonex, there exists a universe of algo-manipulating copypastas that concern everything from authentic Afrobeats superstars to fake Asian rappers, international holidays to articles of clothing, legit news items to dumbed-down historical timelines.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Parton’s work blazed a trail for such genre-defying superstars as Shania Twain, the Chicks and Taylor Swift, but her accomplishments went far beyond her music.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
A dozen or more superstars would be framed and hung on one wall of Hoo's On First.
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
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.
