star

[ stahr ]

noun

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.

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)

, starred, star·ring.

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)

, starred, star·ring.

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.

star

/ 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 ) astralsiderealstellar

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

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

/ 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.

star

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 .

Notes

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.

Derived Forms

• ˈstarless, adjective
• ˈstarˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• star·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of star¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of star¹

Old English steorra ; related to Old Frisian stēra , Old Norse stjarna , German Stern , Latin stella

Idioms and Phrases

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.

More idioms and phrases containing star

In addition to the idiom beginning with star , also see born under a lucky star ; see stars ; thank one's lucky stars .

Example Sentences

Cronin and his staff doggedly pursued Nikolas Khamenia, a star forward from Harvard-Westlake, as part of an intense recruiting battle that ultimately went in Duke’s favor when Khamenia announced last month that he would become a Blue Devil.

From Los Angeles Times

I’d come across a guy named Mike Mahoney, a 20-something rising star in white nationalist circles who worked for Breitbart News and accompanied Milo Yiannopoulos, Breitbart’s firebrand tech editor, on his speaking tours.

From Salon

“It’s a question of the prime movers, the director, the star. There are so many heavy pieces that have to be lifted and put into place, and if one of them isn’t ready, then it’s going to have to wait.”

From Los Angeles Times

“There were about 35 people in the audience, and I just took one look at the guy and thought, ‘Oh, there’s a star,’” he recalled.

From Los Angeles Times

Schur says he had one rule as he and the writers set out to adapt the documentary into a half-hour sitcom: “We’re gonna have to change a bunch of stuff, we’re gonna have to expand a bunch of stuff, we’re going to create new characters that are not in the documentary, but the documentary is the North Star. That doesn’t mean the story as much as it means the feeling, which I don’t even know if I could describe, but I know what it is when I feel it.”

From Los Angeles Times