starring

[ stahr-ing ]

adjective

1. featured or celebrated as a star in a movie, on a sports team, etc.:

   He was already the starring quarterback on his high school football team, which was on its way to a state championship.

2. (of a character or role) leading, central, or primary:

   The earliest performance I can remember is when I played the starring role in a drama called The Littlest Angel at church.

   As the town’s largest employer, the university also plays a starring role in the local economy.

3. featuring a specified performer:

   They didn't give a beginner a starring movie when I started acting 18 years ago.

Word History and Origins

Origin of starring¹

star ( def ) + -ing ²( def )

Example Sentences

But recently she had been living in an apartment in Hell’s Kitchen, with her partner and her best friend, while starring in the Broadway revival of “Cabaret.”

From New York Times

Dining at The Inn at Little Washington has been likened to performance art with the guest always playing the starring role.

From Salon

The actor won a supporting actor Golden Globe for “The Rainmaker” in 1956, starring opposite Katharine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster.

From Los Angeles Times

That attitude toward female performers has begun to shift in recent years, with Hahn joining a growing number of women who are now producing and starring in their own projects.

From Los Angeles Times

Johnson, who is also starring as Maui in the upcoming live-action Moana remake, said that his three daughters "love" seeing him take on the role.

From BBC