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 WebEmily Weaver, People.com, 26 Oct. 2024
Other stars in attendance at the L.A. event included singer-songwriter Laufey, actress Xochitl Gomez, and alt-pop artist Remi Wolf.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 26 Oct. 2024
Nicholas Rice, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024
The series stars Gabriel Leone (Ferrari) in the title role.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2024
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
The only blight on that victory was the likely season-ending injury suffered by their star defensive lineman, Aidan Hutchinson.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for star 
Noun
Carlo even accompanied the Fall Guy star to the 2024 SAG Awards.
—Emily Weaver, People.com, 26 Oct. 2024
Other stars in attendance at the L.A. event included singer-songwriter Laufey, actress Xochitl Gomez, and alt-pop artist Remi Wolf.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 26 Oct. 2024
Verb
Alongside Dempsey, Slater and Gellar, the series also stars Molly Brown as Debra Morgan, James Martinez as Angel Batista, Christina Milian as Maria LaGuerta, Alex Shimizu as Vince Masuka and Reno Wilson as Bobby Watt.
—Nicholas Rice, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024
The series stars Gabriel Leone (Ferrari) in the title role.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Ryder is the star center fielder for the Southern Section Division 2 championship baseball team.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
The only blight on that victory was the likely season-ending injury suffered by their star defensive lineman, Aidan Hutchinson.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for star
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'star.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near star
Cite this Entry
“Star.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/star. Accessed 5 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share