star | Definition from the Letters & punctuation topic | Letters & punctuation
star
star
1
/
stɑː
$
stɑːr
/
●●●
S2
W2
noun
[
countable
]
under the stars (= outdoors at night ) sitting around a campfire under the stars
The stars were twinkling overhead (= shining and quickly changing from bright to faint ) .
The stars were all out (= they were shining ) .
I lay on my back and looked up at the stars.
a large ball of burning gas in space that can be seen at night as a point of light in the sky
She’s a good actress but she lacks star quality (= a special quality that could make someone a star ) .
(= someone who is becoming famous and successful )
He is a rising star (= someone who is becoming famous and successful ) in the music world.
By the age of 20, she was already a big star (= a very famous and successful performer ) .
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’
star player/performer/salesman etc the team’s star player the school’s star pupil the star columnist of ‘The Sunday Times’
the best or most successful person in a group of players, workers, students etc
b) SUCCESSFUL 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’
(= best and most popular person or thing )
Shamu, the killer whale, is the show’s star attraction (= best and most popular person or thing ) .
Laporte, as Ebenezer Scrooge, is undoubtedly the star of the show .
the person who gives the best performance in a film, play, show etc
a piece of cloth or metal in the shape of a star, worn to show someone’s rank or position – used especially on military
I put a star next to the items that we still need to buy.
a mark in the shape of a star, used to draw attention to something written
b) SLA a mark in the shape of a star, used to draw attention to something written SYN asterisk I put a star next to the items that we still need to buy.
a shape with four or more points, which represents the way a star looks in the sky
a mark used in a system for judging the quality of hotels and restaurants
something is written in the stars
COLLOCATIONS
–
Meaning 1: a large ball of burning gas in space that can be seen at night as a point of light in the sky
verbs
a star shines
I looked up and saw hundreds of stars shining in the sky.
a star twinkles
(=
shines with an unsteady light
)
Stars began to twinkle in the darkening night sky.
stars appear/come out
(=
appear in the sky
)
We arrived home just as the stars were coming out.
the stars are out
(=
they are shining
)
There was a full moon, and the stars were out.
look up at the stars
I had spent a lot of time looking up at the stars as a kid.
sleep under the stars
(=
in a place with no roof
)
In the desert, they slept out under the stars.
adjectives
bright
the brightest star in the night sky
faint
The star is faint but visible.
a distant star
(=
very far away
)
He stared up towards the distant stars.
phrases
a cluster of stars
(=
a small group of stars close together in the sky
)
He fixed his telescope on a tiny little cluster of stars in the constellation of Taurus.
COLLOCATIONS
–
Meaning 2: a famous and successful actor, musician, or sports player
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + star
a big star
(=
a very famous and successful star
)
He has worked with some of the world’s biggest stars.
a movie/Hollywood star
(
also
a film star
especially British English
)
He looked like a movie star.
a pop/rock star
Who’s your favourite pop star?
a TV star
Most TV stars do quite a lot of charity work.
a soap star
(=
a star in a television soap opera
)
She was known as a soap star before she took up singing.
a sports/football/basketball etc star
Sam was a football star in college.
an international star
(=
a star who is famous in many countries
)
His performance in ‘The Titanic’ made him an international star.
a rising star
(=
someone who is becoming famous and successful
)
She is very much the rising star of Black American fiction.
a child star
(=
a child who is a famous performer
)
The production team say they have been careful to look after all their child stars.
star + NOUN
star quality
(=
a special quality that could make someone a star
)
She radiates genuine star quality.
star treatment
(=
special treatment that a star gets
)
Winners get star treatment from the media.
a star vehicle
(=
a film or television programme that is intended to show the abilities of one particular star
)
He denied that the movie was just a star vehicle for Tom Hanks.
phrases
a star of stage and screen
(=
a star who has been in plays and films
)
Now this much-loved star of stage and screen has been made a Dame.
THESAURUS
–
Meaning 1: a large ball of burning gas in space that can be seen at night as a point of light in the sky
in the sky
star
a large ball of burning gas in space, which can be seen at night as a point of light in the sky
The dark night sky was clear and full of stars.
planet
Saturn,
one of the large objects that goes around the Sun , for example the Earth Mercury , or Mars
The planet Uranus was discovered in 1781.
sun
the star that gives us light and heat, around which the planets move. There are also many millions of other suns in the universe
The sun came out from behind a cloud.
a dying sun
moon
the round object that moves around the Earth every 28 days, or a similar object that goes around another planet
The moon rose in the night sky.
Titan is one of the moons of Saturn.
asteroid
asteroids
are found between mass of rock that moves around the sun. Mostare found between Jupiter and Mars
the asteroid belt
pulsar
radiationradio waves
a type of star that is far away in space and producesand
quasar
an object like a star that is far away in space and shines extremely brightly
supernova
a very large exploding star
constellation
a group of stars that forms a particular pattern and has a name
The constellation of Orion is one of the most easily recognizable patterns of stars in the night sky.
galaxy
one of the large groups of stars that make up the universe
Astronomers have detected a galaxy 11 billion light years away.
the universe
all space, including all the stars and planets
How many planets in the universe have life?
THESAURUS
–
Meaning 2: a famous and successful actor, musician, or sports player
a famous person
star
a famous and successful actor, musician, or sportsperson
She dreamed of becoming a movie star.
a talent show to find the stars of the future
celebrity
Celebrities
are often famous for being famous, not because they have any great talent
someone who often appears in newspapers , on television etc and is well-known to the public.are often famous for being famous, not because they have any great
The magazine is full of gossip about celebrities.
name
a famous person whose name is known by many people – used especially in the following expressions
All the
big names
in football were at the awards dinner.
Giorgio Armani is one of the most
famous names
in fashion.
He is yet to become a
household name
(=
someone who everyone has heard of
)
.
personality
an entertainer or sports player who is famous and often appears in the newspapers, on television etc – used especially in the following phrases
Many advertisers use
TV personalities
to promote their products.
He was chosen as
sports personality
of the year.
a very famous person
superstar
an extremely famous performer , especially a musician or film actor
The film made Tom Cruise an international superstar.
legend
someone who is famous and admired for being extremely good at doing something – used especially about people who are at the end of a long career or who have died
blues legend John Lee Hooker
Jane Fonda is the daughter of film legend Henry Fonda.
great
[
usually plural
]
someone who was one of the best players or performers that there have ever been
He was one of the all-time soccer greats.
