often attributive
1
a
: a natural luminous body visible in the sky especially at night
b
: a self-luminous gaseous spheroidal celestial body of great mass which produces energy by means of nuclear fusion reactions
2
a(1)
: a planet or a configuration of the planets that is held in astrology to influence one's destiny or fortune
—usually used in plural
(2)
: a waxing or waning fortune or fame
her star was rising
b
obsolete
: destiny
3
4
: something resembling a star
was hit on the head and saw stars
5
a
: the principal member of a theatrical or operatic company who usually plays the chief roles
b
: a highly publicized theatrical or movie performer
c
: an outstandingly talented performer
a track star
d
: a person who is preeminent in a particular field
starred; starring; stars
1
a
intransitive
: to play the most prominent or important role in a movie, play, etc.
an actor currently starring in a hit Broadway show
She had a starring role in his latest film.
(figurative) Tequila and blood oranges star in this Margarita, which gets a spicy kick from homemade jalapeño syrup.—
Natalie Migliarini
Natalie Migliarini
b
transitive
: to feature (a performer) in the most prominent or important role
a movie that stars a famous stage personality
2
intransitive
: to perform outstandingly
In the fall of 1925, Elkins starred on the gridiron …—Bil Gilbert
Bil Gilbert[Alan] Trammell, who starred for the Tigers at shortstop during the glory days of the 1980s …—Jeff Bradley
Jeff Bradley3
a
: to mark with a star as being superior or preeminent in some way
a monument starred in the guidebook
a starred review
b
: to mark with an asterisk
4
transitive
: to sprinkle or adorn with or as if with stars
… meadows starred with buttercups and daisies.—Kenneth Roberts
Kenneth Roberts1
: of, relating to, or being a star
received star billing
2
: of outstanding excellence : preeminent
a star athlete
Synonyms
Examples of star in a Sentence
Noun
They gazed up at the stars.
There are billions of stars in the universe.
I'm glad we didn't use the tent. It's so much nicer to sleep outside under the stars.
The restaurant was awarded four stars for excellence.
Critics give the movie three stars.
Verb
The new television series stars a famous movie actress.
a concert starring some of the biggest names in the business
He starred in both baseball and football when he was in college.
She starred for the basketball team last year.
This restaurant is starred in the guidebook.
Adjective
looking for star actors to play the leads
Recent Examples on the Web
Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024
The city is expecting 500,000 tourists for the pop star’s six-night, two-weekend stand of her Eras tour.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 15 Nov. 2024
Hannah Sacks, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
Harold and the Purple Crayon—a summer family movie bust starring Zachary Levi—has found a big audience on Netflix.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2024
Ellison was the star witness in the prosecution of Bankman-Fried and recently received a two-year prison sentence.
—Mackenzie Sigalos,dawn Giel, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for star 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Defensive coordinator Robert Livingston’s unit had an array of stars on Saturday.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024
The city is expecting 500,000 tourists for the pop star’s six-night, two-weekend stand of her Eras tour.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
In 2021, Breeds, who was starring in Clarice at the time, spoke with PEOPLE about meeting her husband Mitchell on the set of the long-running Aussie soap opera Home and Away.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
Harold and the Purple Crayon—a summer family movie bust starring Zachary Levi—has found a big audience on Netflix.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
Tony is sleeping with his star new producer, Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams), imported from NBC for her professional acumen and passion for yelling.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2024
Ellison was the star witness in the prosecution of Bankman-Fried and recently received a two-year prison sentence.
—Mackenzie Sigalos,dawn Giel, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for star
Dictionary Entries Near star
Cite this Entry
“Star.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/star. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
star
1 of 3 noun1
a
: a natural body visible in the sky especially at night that gives off light or shines by reflection
b
: a ball-shaped gaseous celestial body (as the sun) of great mass that shines by its own light
2
: a planet or an arrangement of the planets that is believed in astrology to influence one's life
—usually used in plural
3
: a figure or thing (as an asterisk or badge) with five or more points that represents or resembles a star
4
a
: the principal member of a theater or opera company
b
: a very talented or popular performer
football stars
TV stars
star
2 of 3 verb
starred; starring
1
: to sprinkle or adorn with stars
2
a
: to mark with a star as being superior
b
: to mark with an asterisk
3
: to present in the role of a star
4
: to play the most important role
will produce and star in a new play
5
: to perform outstandingly
starred at shortstop in the series
star
3 of 3 adjective1
: of, relating to, or being a star
2
: being of outstanding excellence : preeminent
star athlete
our star trumpeter
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