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:
Since Walter took over, the team has spent lavishly to acquire superstar talent such as Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani, and the club has deferred some of the biggest contract payments deep into the future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
We can safely assume that the Colombian superstar selected the cuts herself — the perfect tropicoqueta mix to set up the mood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
But the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 are weighted by market value, and outsize gains from a handful of superstar companies continue to drive returns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The pop superstar, 67, recently walked out with the original Ronaldo and Ronaldinho to perform during the colourful half-time show at the recent Fifa Men's World Cup final.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
“We’re practicing for Moss’s inevitable NPR interview. He’ll become a superstar of tragedy porn.”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
The losingest jersey in sports masked five no-funny-business basketball players who could give superstars a scare.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
The team has been home to some of the league's biggest superstars including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal and the late Kobe Bryant.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
There he managed hard rock acts including Korn and Limp Bizkit, helping make them superstars of the “TRL” era.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
England has repeatedly shown it can provide the stage on which superstars are made.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Whether Griswold’s famous friends thought the Fox sisters honest or not, their interest alone helped turn Maggie, Kate, and Leah into superstars.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
