Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: LETTERS AND PUNCTUATION

Language: Old English
Origin: steorra

star

1 noun
     
star1 S2 W2 [countable]
1

in the sky

HA a large ball of burning gas in space that can be seen at night as a point of light in the sky:
I lay on my back and looked up at the stars.
The sky was filled with stars.
under the stars
That night, we camped out under the stars (=outdoors).
The stars were all out (=they were shining).
stars twinkling overhead (=shining in the sky and quickly changing from bright to faint)
 ➔ falling star, shooting star
2

famous performer/player

a famous and successful actor, musician, or sports player
movie/film/Hollywood etc star
His dream was to become a Hollywood star.
pop/rock star
British pop star Elton John
By the age of twenty she was already a big star (=very famous performer).
the highest paid child star of all time
a rising star (=someone who is becoming famous and successful) in the music world
She's a good actress, but she lacks star quality (=something that makes a person seem special and likely to be a star).
3

main person in a film/play etc

the person who has the main part, or one of them, in a film, play, show etc
star of
Ray Grimes, the star of the television series 'Brother John'
4

best/most successful person

a) the person who gives the best performance in a film, play, show etc:
Laporte, as Ebenezer Scrooge, is undoubtedly the star of the show.
Shamu, the killer whale, is the show's star attraction (=best and most popular person or thing).
b) the best or most successful person in a group of players, workers, students etc
star player/performer/salesman etc
the team's star player
the school's star pupil
the star columnist of the Sunday Times
5

shape

a) CF a shape with four or more points, which represents the way a star looks in the sky
b) SLA a mark in the shape of a star, used to draw attention to something written [= asterisk]:
I put a star next to the items that we still need to buy.
c) PM a piece of cloth or metal in the shape of a star, worn to show someone's rank or position - used especially on military uniforms
6

hotels/restaurants

DLT a mark used in a system for judging the quality of hotels and restaurants
7

the stars

British English informal a description, usually printed in newspapers and magazines, of what will happen to you in the future, based on the position of the stars and planets at the time of your birth [= horoscope]
somebody's stars
I never read my stars.
➔ star sign
8

something is written in the stars

used to say that what happens to a person is controlled by fate (=a power that is believed to influence what happens in people's lives):
Their marriage was surely written in the stars.
9

see stars

to see flashes of light, especially because you have been hit on the head:
I felt a little dizzy and could see stars.
10

have stars in your eyes

to imagine that something you want to do is much more exciting or attractive than it really is ➔ starry-eyed
11

you're a star!/what a star!

British English spoken said when you are very grateful or pleased because of what someone has done:
Thanks, Mel. You're a real star!
➔ four-star general, five-star, morning star, shooting star

; ➔ guiding star

at guiding (2)

; ➔ born under a lucky/unlucky star

at born2 (7)

; ➔ reach for the stars

at reach1 (11)

; ➔ thank your lucky stars

at thank (3)WORD FOCUS: space WORD FOCUS: space
vehicles used in space: spaceship, spacecraft, rocket, (space) shuttle, probe, satellite, space station
someone who travels in space: astronaut, cosmonaut Russian
parts of a rocket's journey: countdown, launch, blast-off/take-off/lift-off, leaving the earth's atmosphere, going into orbit, re-entering the earth's atmosphere, splashdown/touchdown
places and things in space: planet, moon, star, sun, satellite, solar system, constellation, galaxy, universe, the cosmos, black hole, quasar, comet, meteor, asteroid
the study of space: astronomyspace

➔ See also spaceWORD FOCUS: film WORD FOCUS: film
types of film: comedy, romantic comedy, drama, thriller, western, action film, horror film, war film, art house film, silent film, feature film
films that use drawings or models: cartoon, animation, animated film
films in general: cinema
where you go to see a film : cinema British English/movie theater American English, multiplex
the people in a film: actor, actress, star, cast
the people who make a film: director, producer, film crew, cameraman/camerawoman, scriptwriter
the music for a film: soundtrack
the words and the instructions to the actors: screenplay
a short film advertising another film: trailer

➔ See also filmWORD FOCUS: famous WORD FOCUS: famous
similar words: well-known, celebrated, renowned, eminent, noted, legendary
famous for doing something bad: notorious, infamous
not famous: little-known, unknown, obscure
a famous person: celebrity, celeb informal, star

➔ See also famous
Definition of star from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic LETTERS AND PUNCTUATION
Word of the Day
The LETTERS AND PUNCTUATION
Word of the Day is:
P

Other related topics