star

/stɑr/

/stɑ/

Other forms: stars; starring; starred; staringly

A star twinkles in the night sky. To put it more scientifically, it’s a celestial body of hot gases radiating energy. A star is also a person who dazzles — the star of the show or the star archaeologist.

If you're starring in a Broadway show, your name gets top billing — you've got the biggest part or maybe you're the best known performer, the actor people are wild to see, the one with the most "star power." If you believe in fate or astrology, you might "thank your lucky stars" for your good fortune. Star is the same root as the Greek aster, as in asterisk — a star symbol.

Definitions of star

1. noun

   (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
   examples:

   Alpha Crucis

   the brightest star in the Southern Cross

   Beta Centauri

   the second brightest star in Centaurus

   Beta Crucis

   the second brightest star in the Southern Cross

   Deneb

   the brightest star in Cygnus

   Denebola

   a star in Leo approximately 43 light years from Earth

   Pollux

   the brightest star in Gemini; close to Castor

   Regulus

   the brightest star in Leo

   Spica

   the brightest star in Virgo

   Asterope

   one of the stars in the star cluster Pleiades

   Sun

   the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

   types:

   binary, binary star, double star

   a system of two stars that revolve around each other under their mutual gravitation

   fixed star

   any star in the Ptolemaic theory of planetary motion

   giant, giant star

   a very bright star of large diameter and low density (relative to the Sun)

   loadstar, lodestar

   guiding star; a star that is used as a reference point in navigation or astronomy

   multiple star

   a system of three or more stars associated by gravity

   neutron star

   a star that has collapsed under its own gravity; it is composed of neutrons

   nova

   a star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and become more luminous in the process

   red dwarf, red dwarf star

   a small, old, relatively cool star; approximately 100 times the mass of Jupiter

   red giant, red giant star

   a large, old, luminous star; has a relatively low surface temperature and a diameter large relative to the sun

   sun

   any star around which a planetary system revolves

   supergiant

   an extremely bright star of very large diameter and low density

   supernova

   a star that explodes and becomes extremely luminous in the process

   variable, variable star

   a star that varies noticeably in brightness

   white dwarf, white dwarf star

   a faint star of enormous density

   flare star

   a red dwarf star in which luminosity can change several magnitudes in a few minutes

   pulsar

   a degenerate neutron star; small and extremely dense; rotates very fast and emits regular pulses of polarized radiation

   Trapezium

   a multiple star in the constellation of Orion

   type of:

   celestial body, heavenly body

   a natural object visible in the sky
2. noun

   any celestial body visible (as a point of light) from the Earth at night
   types:

   starlet

   a small star

   type of:

   celestial body, heavenly body

   a natural object visible in the sky
3. noun

   someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
   synonyms: ace, adept, champion, genius, hotshot, maven, mavin, sensation, superhero, superstar, virtuoso, whiz, whizz, wiz, wizard

   types:

   track star

   a star runner

   type of:

   expert, pundit

   a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully
4. noun

   a performer who receives prominent billing
   synonyms: headliner

   type of:

   performer, performing artist

   an entertainer who performs a dramatic or musical work for an audience
5. noun

   an actor who plays a principal role
   synonyms: lead, principal

   types:

   co-star

   one of two actors who are given equal status as stars in a play or film

   film star, movie star

   a star who plays leading roles in the cinema

   icon, idol, matinee idol

   someone who is adored blindly and excessively

   TV star, television star

   a star in a television show

   heartthrob

   an object of infatuation

   type of:

   actor, histrion, player, role player, thespian

   a theatrical performer
6. verb

   feature as the star
   “The movie stars Dustin Hoffman as an autistic man”

   types:

   co-star

   feature as the co-star in a performance

   type of:

   feature, have

   have as a feature
7. verb

   be the star in a performance
   types:

   co-star

   be the co-star in a performance

   type of:

   do, execute, perform

   carry out or perform an action
8. adjective

   indicating the most important performer or role
   “a star figure skater”

   “the starring role”

   synonyms: leading, prima, starring, stellar

   major

   of greater importance or stature or rank
9. noun

   the topology of a network whose components are connected to a hub
   synonyms: star topology

   type of:

   network topology, topology

   the configuration of a communication network
10. noun

    a plane figure with 5 or more points; often used as an emblem
    types:

    hexagram

    a regular polygon formed by extending each of the sides of a regular hexagon to form two equilateral triangles

    asterism

    (mineralogy) a star-shaped figure with six rays that is seen in some crystal structures under reflected or transmitted light

    pentacle, pentagram, pentangle

    a star with 5 points; formed by 5 straight lines between the vertices of a pentagon and enclosing another pentagon

    Magen David, Mogen David, Shield of David, Solomon's seal, Star of David

    a six-pointed star formed from two equilateral triangles; an emblem symbolizing Judaism

    type of:

    plane figure, two-dimensional figure

    a two-dimensional shape
11. noun

    a star-shaped character * used in printing
    synonyms: asterisk

    type of:

    character, grapheme, graphic symbol

    a written symbol that is used to represent speech
12. verb

    mark with an asterisk
    “Linguists star unacceptable sentences”

    synonyms: asterisk

    type of:

    mark

    make or leave a mark on