star

[ stahr ]

/ stɑr /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR star ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of the heavenly bodies, except the moon, appearing as fixed luminous points in the sky at night.

Astronomy. any of the large, self-luminous, heavenly bodies, as the sun, Polaris, etc.

any heavenly body.

Astrology. a heavenly body, especially a planet, considered as influencing humankind and events.

a person's destiny, fortune, temperament, etc., regarded as influenced and determined by the stars.

a conventionalized figure usually having five or six points radiating from or disposed about a center.

this figure used as an ornament, award, badge, mark of excellence, etc.: The movie was awarded three stars.

Jewelry.

a gem having the star cut.
the asterism in a crystal or a gemstone, as in a star sapphire.
a crystal or a gemstone having such asterism.
star facet.

Printing. an asterisk.

a person who is celebrated or distinguished in some art, profession, or other field.

a prominent actor, singer, or the like, especially one who plays the leading role in a performance.

U.S. Military. battle star.

U.S. Navy.

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.
a silver star worn in place of five gold or bronze stars.

a white spot on the forehead of a horse.

Heraldry. a mullet.

adjective

celebrated, prominent, or distinguished; preeminent: a star basketball player; a star reporter.

of or relating to a star or stars.

verb (used with object), starred, star·ring.

to set with or as with stars; spangle.

to feature as a star: an old movie starring Rudolph Valentino.

to mark with a star or asterisk, as for special notice.

verb (used without object), starred, star·ring.

to shine as a star; be brilliant or prominent.

(of a performer) to appear as a star: He starred in several productions of Shaw's plays.

Idioms for star

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.

thank one's lucky stars, to acknowledge one's good fortune; be grateful: Instead of complaining about hospital bills she should thank her lucky stars she's still alive. Also thank one's stars.

Origin of star

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

OTHER WORDS FROM star

star·less, adjective

Words nearby star

staphylotoxin, staple, staple gun, stapler, stapling, star, star anise, star apple, star carr, star chamber, star chart

Example sentences from the Web for stars

The twin entrepreneurs and stars of HGTV's Property Brothers will be taking your questions live on Tuesday, December 16 at 2pm.

Live Q&A: Drew and Jonathan Scott |The Daily Beast |December 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Back then, when partners of stars melted into the background, it was a barnstorming stealing of the show.

Happy 20th Birthday, Liz Hurley’s Safety-Pin Dress |Tim Teeman |December 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Are the stars of Mockingjay obligated to speak out in their defense?

‘The Hunger Games’ Stars Silent on Thai Protesters |Asawin Suebsaeng |November 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Zach Braff and Donald Faison The Scrubs stars reunited to sing this holiday duet.

The Most WTF Covers of ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside,’ Everyone’s Favorite Date-Rape Holiday Classic |Kevin Fallon |November 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

It stars children mouthing along to the lyrics—those same lyrics we just described above.

The Most WTF Covers of ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside,’ Everyone’s Favorite Date-Rape Holiday Classic |Kevin Fallon |November 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Woods gave place to stump-fields in which the young corn sprouted, silvered by the stars.

The Maid-At-Arms |Robert W. Chambers
Throw ope the window to the stars, And let the warm night in!

Songs from Vagabondia |Bliss Carman and Richard Hovey
And the stars came out in heaven, High over Asgard, to light home the king.

Views and Reviews |William Ernest Henley
With no guides but the stars by night and the blue edge of the land by day, there was need for keen eyesight and watchfulness.

Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art |Various
The day was done, the stars were out, as we moved across from the courthouse to the lock-up.

Robbery Under Arms |Thomas Alexander Browne, AKA Rolf Boldrewood

British Dictionary definitions for stars

star

/ (stɑː) /

noun

any of a vast number of celestial objects that are visible in the clear night sky as points of light

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°CSee also Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, giant star, white dwarf, neutron star, black hole
(as modifier)a star catalogue Related adjectives: astral, sidereal, stellar

astrology

a celestial body, esp a planet, supposed to influence events, personalities, etc
(plural) another name for horoscope (def. 1)

an emblem shaped like a conventionalized star, usually with five or more points, often used as a symbol of rank, an award, etc

a small white blaze on the forehead of an animal, esp a horse

Also called: star facet any of the eight triangular facets cut in the crown of a brilliant

a distinguished or glamorous celebrity, often from the entertainment world
(as modifier)star quality

another word for asterisk

(often capital) a type of keelboat, designed to be crewed by two people

prison slang a convict serving his first prison sentence

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 stars, starring or starred

(tr) to mark or decorate with a star or stars

to feature or be featured as a star ``Greed'' starred Erich von Stroheim; Olivier starred in ``Hamlet''

Derived forms of star

starless, adjective starlike, adjective

Word Origin for star

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

Scientific definitions for stars

star

[ stär ]

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 ablack hole.

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.

Cultural definitions for stars

star

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 for star

Our own sun is a medium-sized star.

notes for star

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.)

notes for star

All chemical elements heavier than helium are created in the center of stars and are returned to space when the star dies.

notes for star

New stars are forming constantly.

Idioms and Phrases with stars

star

In addition to the idiom beginning with star

stare down
stare in the face
stars in one's eyes, have

also see:

born under a lucky star
see stars
thank one's lucky stars

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Learning

star