superstar
Americannoun
-
superstars
plural
-
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.
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Week 3 Spelling
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
With a tandem of Leonard and fellow superstar Paul George, L.A. immediately vaulted to the ranks of the NBA’s championship contenders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Meet the next tennis superstar: Alex Eala is taking the tennis world by storm.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
And now the University of Tennessee will honor that special relationship with the singing superstar with a helmet decal to be worn by Volunteers players all season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
South Korea's formidable team will be spearheaded by superstar gamer Lee Sang-hyeok.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
“He’s a superstar, you guys. And I’m just some...some kid from Colorado Springs. I’ve never even directed a real movie before!”
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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
It’s tempting to treat the superstars with contracts at the high nine-figure level — the Juan Sotos, Aaron Judges, Shohei Otanis — as representative of the class.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The losingest jersey in sports masked five no-funny-business basketball players who could give superstars a scare.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
England has repeatedly shown it can provide the stage on which superstars are made.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Back home in Seattle, they were already full-blown superstars.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
