Definition of "star"

star

/stɑː(ɹ)/

noun
plural stars
1. Any small luminous dot appearing in the cloudless portion of the night sky, especially with a fixed location relative to other such dots.
2. (astronomy) A luminous celestial body, made up of plasma (particularly hydrogen and helium) and having a spherical shape. Depending on context the sun may or may not be included.
3. (geometry) A concave polygon with regular, pointy protrusions and indentations, usually with four, five, or six points.
4. (acting) An actor in a leading role.
5. An exceptionally talented or famous person, often in a specific field; a celebrity.
  Quotations
  Star reporter, leg-man, cub, veteran gray in the trade—one and all they tried to pin the Bat like a caught butterfly to the front page of their respective journals—soon or late each gave up, beaten. He was news— […] —the brief, staccato recital of his career in the morgues of the great dailies grew longer and more incredible each day.
  1920, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood, “The Shadow of the Bat”, in The Bat: A Novel from the Play (Dell Book; 241), New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing Company, page 8
6. (Jamaica, MLE, African-American Vernacular) (by extension) A friend, a mate, a pal.
  Quotations
  "Wha'ppen, star!" Hector said, grinning to reveal a gold-capped tooth. He told everyone it was solid twenty-four carat, but if it was, he would have wrenched it out with pliers to pawn to the highest bidder by now.
  2003, Michael Maynard, Games Men Play, page 127
  Switches character to the street-wise Ragamuffin, speaking out of the corner of his mouth in Creole: "Whappen now star! Seckle, seckle now people! Cool, cool na baass! [what is happening friends? Settle down]
  2017, Les Back, New Ethnicities and Urban Culture: Racisms and Multiculture in Young Lives‎
  'Dey ain't mine,' Stacey snapped, flicking her head towards the yutes in the bedroom. 'I'm juss lookin after dem fi mi fren dem. I only av six pickney by tree men enuh, star.'
  2022, Moses McKenzie, An Olive Grove in Ends‎
7. (printing) An asterisk (*) or symbol (★).
  Quotations
  Above all, the 48-page timetables of the new service, which have been distributed free at every station in the scheme, are a model to the rest of B.R. For the first time on British Railways, so far as we are aware, a substantial timetable has been produced, not only without a single footnote but also devoid of all wearisome asterisks, stars, letter suffixes and other hieroglyphics.
  1960 December, “The Glasgow Suburban Electrification is opened”, in Trains Illustrated, page 714
8. A symbol used to rate hotels, films, etc. with a higher number of stars denoting better quality.
9. A simple dance, or part of a dance, where a group of four dancers each put their right or left hand in the middle and turn around in a circle. You call them right-hand stars or left-hand stars, depending on the hand which is in the middle.
10. (astrology) A planet supposed to influence one's destiny.
  Quotations
  But O malignant and ill-boading Starres, […]
  1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act IV, scene v], page 112, column 2
  Men bless their stars and call it luxury.
  1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […]
  But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, […] . By the time we reached the house we were thanking our stars she had come.
  1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., pages 69–70
11. A star-shaped ornament worn on the breast to indicate rank or honour.
  Quotations
  […] on whom […] / Lavish Honour shower’d all her stars, […]
  1852, Alfred Tennyson, “Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington”, in Maud, and Other Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], stanza 8, page 132
12. A composition of combustible matter used in the heading of rockets, in mines, etc., which, exploding in the air, presents a starlike appearance.
verb
third-person singular simple present stars, present participle starring, simple past and past participle starred
1. (intransitive) To appear as a featured performer or headliner, especially in an entertainment program.
  Quotations
  I was inundated with invitations; […] I felt, indeed, much as a great actor must when he goes 'starring' in the provinces.
  1902, Robert Marshall Grade, The Haunted Major
2. (transitive) To feature (a performer or a headliner), especially in a movie or an entertainment program.
  Quotations
  "What followed this decision was exactly what we had expected: Mr. Fox, realizing that the public was tiring of Theda Bara in vampire roles, announced that he would star her in a production of Romeo and Juliet," she illustrated.
  2004, David W. Menefee, The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era, page 4
3. (transitive) To mark with a star or asterisk.
4. (transitive) To set or adorn with stars, or bright, radiating bodies; to bespangle.
  Quotations
  Thy gloomy Grandeurs (Nature’s moſt auguſt, / Inſpiring Aſpect!) claim a grateful Verſe; / And, like a ſable Curtain ſtarr’d with Gold, / Drawn o’er my Labours paſt, ſhall cloſe the Scene.
  1745, [Edward Young], “Night the Ninth and Last. The Consolation. Containing, among Other Things, I. A Moral Survey of the Nocturnal Heavens. II. A Night-Address to the Deity. […]”, in The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality, London: […] [Samuel Richardson] for A[ndrew] Millar […], and R[obert] Dodsley […], published 1750, page 314
5. (intransitive) To shine like a star.

Definition of "star"

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