star

noun

/stɑː(r)/

/stɑːr/

Idioms

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in sky

[countable] a large ball of burning gas in space that we see as a point of light in the sky at night

There was a big moon and hundreds of stars were shining overhead.
Sirius is the brightest star in the sky.
under the stars We camped out under the stars.

see also dark star, falling star, lodestar, Pole Star, shooting star, starry

Extra Examples

They lay down under a canopy of stars.
a dense cluster of stars at the galaxy's nucleus

Topics Spacea1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

bright
brilliant
faint
…

… of stars

cluster
canopy

verb + star

look up at

star + verb

be out
shine
twinkle
…

star + noun

cluster

preposition

under the stars

phrases

the brightness of a star
the density of a star
the luminosity of a star
…

See full entry

shape

[countable] an object, a decoration, a mark, etc., usually with five or six points, whose shape represents a star

a horse with a white star on its forehead
a sheriff’s star
I've put a star by the names of the girls in the class.
Liz deserves a gold star for all her hard work.
a four-star general

Topics Colours and Shapesa2

mark of quality

[countable, usually singular] a mark that represents a star and tells you how good something is, especially a hotel or restaurant

three-/four-/five-star hotels
What star rating does this restaurant have?

Topics Holidaysa2

performer

[countable] a famous and excellent singer, performer, sports player, etc.

pop/rock/Hollywood/TV stars
a football/tennis/sports star
She acts well but she hasn't got star quality.
Get used to her face as she is a rising star.
She's a former child star.
He's so good—I'm sure he'll be a big star.
The best models receive star treatment.

Wordfinder

actor
audition
body double
cameo
cast
play
role
star
stuntman
understudy

see also all-star, co-star (1), film star, megastar, superstar

Extra Examples

I wanted to be a pop star when I was a teenager.
veteran stars of stage and screen
the Hollywood star system
Channel 4 has lined up a galaxy of stars for the coming season.
That was the movie that made him a star.
There were several big Hollywood stars at the function.
The film was nothing more than a star vehicle for Tom Hanks.
The movie didn't have enough star power.
She is one of the brightest stars of her generation.

Topics TV, radio and newsa1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

big
big-name
major
…

… of stars

array
galaxy
host
…

verb + star

make somebody

star + noun

quality
status
power
…

preposition

star of

See full entry

[countable] a person who has the main part, or one of the main parts, in a film, play, etc.

The star of the show was a young Italian singer.
The show has plenty of guest stars appearing each week.
She was the star of many popular television series.

best of group

[countable] (often used before another noun) a person or thing that is the best of a group

a star student
Paula is the star of the class.
He was the star performer at the championships.
The star prize is a weekend for two in Paris.
The monkey was the star attraction (= the best or most popular act) at the show.
Through high school he was a track star.

helpful person

[countable, usually singular] (informal) used to show that you feel very grateful for something that somebody has done or that you think they are wonderful

Thanks! You're a star!

influence on somebody’s future

stars

[plural] a description of what somebody thinks is going to happen to somebody in the future, based on the position of the stars and planets when they were born synonym horoscope

Do you read your stars in the paper?

Word OriginOld English steorra, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch ster, German Stern, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin stella and Greek astēr.

Idioms

reach for the stars

to try to be successful at something that is difficultTopics Successc2

see stars

(informal) to see flashes of light in front of your eyes, usually because you have been hit on the head

stars in your eyes

if somebody has stars in their eyes, they have dreams of becoming famous, especially as an actor, singer, etc.

thank your lucky stars

to feel very grateful and lucky about something
- Just thank your lucky stars you weren’t in the house at the time.

star

verb

/stɑː(r)/

/stɑːr/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they star	/stɑː(r)/ /stɑːr/
he / she / it stars	/stɑːz/ /stɑːrz/
past simple starred	/stɑːd/ /stɑːrd/
past participle starred	/stɑːd/ /stɑːrd/
-ing form starring	/ˈstɑːrɪŋ/ /ˈstɑːrɪŋ/

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perform in movie/play

[intransitive] to have one of the main parts in a film, play, etc.

star in something He starred in that movie about the crazy professor.
star with/opposite somebody (in something) She starred opposite Cary Grant in ‘Bringing up Baby’.
No one has yet been chosen for the starring role (= the main part).

Collocations Cinema/the moviesCinema/the moviesWatching

go to/take somebody to (see) a film
go to/sit in (British English) the cinema/(North American English) the (movie) theater
rent a film/DVD
download/stream a film
burn/copy/rip a DVD
see/watch a film/DVD/preview/trailer

Showing

show/screen a film
promote/distribute/review a film
(British English) be on at the cinema
be released on/come out on/be out on DVD
captivate/delight/grip/thrill the audience
do well/badly at the box office
get a lot of/live up to the hype

Film-making

write/co-write a film/script/screenplay
direct/produce/make/shoot/edit a film/sequel
make a romantic comedy/a thriller/an action movie
do/work on a sequel/remake
film/shoot the opening scene/an action sequence/footage (of something)
compose/create/do/write the soundtrack
cut/edit (out) a scene/sequence

Acting

have/get/do an audition
get/have/play a leading/starring/supporting role
play a character/James Bond/the bad guy
act in/appear in/star in a film/remake
do/perform/attempt a stunt
work in/make it big in Hollywood
forge/carve/make/pursue a career in Hollywood

Describing films

the camera pulls back/pans over something/zooms in (on something)
the camera focuses on something/lingers on something
shoot somebody/show somebody in extreme close-up
use odd/unusual camera angles
be filmed/shot on location/in a studio
be set/take place in London/in the ’60s
have a happy ending/plot twist

[transitive, no passive] star somebody if a film, play, etc. stars somebody, that person has one of the main parts

a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt

mark with symbol

[transitive, usually passive] to put a symbol with a shape like a star (= an asterisk) next to a word, etc. in order to make people notice it

be starred Treat all the sections that have been starred as priority.

More Like This Consonant-doubling verbsConsonant-doubling verbs

bob
club
dub
grab
rub
sob
throb

kid
nod
pad
plod
prod
shred
skid
thud

beg
blog
bug
drag
drug
flag
hug
jog
log
mug
nag
plug

bar
confer
infer
occur
prefer
refer
star
stir
transfer

acquit
admit
allot
chat
clot
commit
jut
knit
pat
regret
rot
spot
submit

appal
cancel
channel
control
counsel
enrol
equal
excel
fuel
fulfil
label
level
marvel
model
pedal
quarrel
signal
travel

Word OriginOld English steorra, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch ster, German Stern, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin stella and Greek astēr.