/ English Dictionary

STAR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: starred    , starring   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The topology of a network whose components are connected to a hub

Synonyms:

star; star topology

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("star" is a kind of...):

network topology; topology (the configuration of a communication network)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A star-shaped character * used in printing

Synonyms:

asterisk; star

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("star" is a kind of...):

character; graph; grapheme; graphic symbol (a written symbol that is used to represent speech)

Derivation:

star (mark with an asterisk)

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("star" is a kind of...):

celestial body; heavenly body (natural objects visible in the sky)

Domain category:

astronomy; uranology (the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "star"):

supernova (a star that explodes and becomes extremely luminous in the process)

supergiant (an extremely bright star of very large diameter and low density)

sun (any star around which a planetary system revolves)

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

red dwarf; red dwarf star (a small, old, relatively cool star; approximately 100 times the mass of Jupiter)

nova (a star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and becomes more luminous in the process)

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

multiple star (a system of three or more stars associated by gravity)

loadstar; lodestar (guiding star; a star that is used as a reference point in navigation or astronomy)

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

fixed star (any star in the Ptolemaic theory of planetary motion)

variable; variable star (a star that varies noticeably in brightness)

binary; binary star; double star (a system of two stars that revolve around each other under their mutual gravitation)

white dwarf; white dwarf star (a faint star of enormous density)

Instance hyponyms:

Denebola (a star in Leo approximately 43 light years from Earth)

Deneb (the brightest star in Cygnus)

Pollux (the brightest star in Gemini; close to Castor)

Beta Crucis (the second brightest star in the Southern Cross)

Regulus (the brightest star in Leo)

Spica (the brightest star in Virgo)

Asterope; Sterope (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)

Beta Centauri (the second brightest star in Centaurus)

Alpha Crucis (the brightest star in the Southern Cross)

Holonyms ("star" is a member of...):

constellation (a configuration of stars as seen from the earth)

extragalactic nebula; galaxy ((astronomy) a collection of star systems; any of the billions of systems each having many stars and nebulae and dust)

Derivation:

starry (abounding with or resembling stars)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Any celestial body visible (as a point of light) from the Earth at night

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("star" is a kind of...):

celestial body; heavenly body (natural objects visible in the sky)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "star"):

starlet (a small star)

Derivation:

starry (abounding with or resembling stars)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field

Synonyms:

ace; adept; champion; genius; hotshot; maven; mavin; sensation; star; superstar; virtuoso; whiz; whizz; wiz; wizard

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("star" is a kind of...):

expert (a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "star"):

track star (a star runner)

Derivation:

star (be the star in a performance)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A performer who receives prominent billing

Synonyms:

headliner; star

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("star" is a kind of...):

performer; performing artist (an entertainer who performs a dramatic or musical work for an audience)

Derivation:

star (be the star in a performance)

star (feature as the star)

stardom (the status of being acknowledged as a star)

Sense 7

Meaning:

An actor who plays a principal role

Synonyms:

lead; principal; star

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("star" is a kind of...):

actor; histrion; player; role player; thespian (a theatrical performer)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "star"):

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)

idol; matinee idol (someone who is adored blindly and excessively)

television star; TV star (a star in a television show)

Derivation:

star (be the star in a performance)

star (feature as the star)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A plane figure with 5 or more points; often used as an emblem

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Hypernyms ("star" is a kind of...):

plane figure; two-dimensional figure (a two-dimensional shape)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "star"):

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)

 II. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Indicating the most important performer or role

Example:

a stellar performance

Synonyms:

leading; prima; star; starring; stellar

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

major (of greater importance or stature or rank)

 III. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Mark with an asterisk

Example:

Linguists star unacceptable sentences

Synonyms:

asterisk; star

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "star" is one way to...):

mark (make or leave a mark on)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

star (a star-shaped character * used in printing)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be the star in a performance

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "star" is one way to...):

do; execute; perform (carry out or perform an action)

Domain category:

dramatic art; dramatics; dramaturgy; theater; theatre (the art of writing and producing plays)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "star"):

co-star (be the co-star in a performance)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

star (someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field)

star (a performer who receives prominent billing)

star (an actor who plays a principal role)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Feature as the star

Example:

The movie stars Dustin Hoffman as an autistic man

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "star" is one way to...):

feature; have (have as a feature)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "star"):

co-star (feature as the co-star in a performance)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

star (a performer who receives prominent billing)

star (an actor who plays a principal role)

Credits

 Context examples: 

See below the flag, how it twinkles like a star!

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I think that we may judge Lord St. Simon very mercifully and thank our stars that we are never likely to find ourselves in the same position.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Messner set up his light sheet-iron stove and starred a fire.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

The planet Teegarden c is similar to Earth in terms of mass, completes its orbit in 11.4 days, and is located relative to its star at 4.5% of the Earth–Sun distance.

(Researchers find two new planets with masses similar to Earth’s near a small neighbouring star, University of Granada)

An extraordinary change had come over his face. It was writhing with inward merriment. His two eyes were shining like stars.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Ha! the stars are out and the wind has fallen. What do you say to a ramble through London?”

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The pressure of starlight from the star, which is 23 times more luminous than the Sun, then expelled the dust far into space.

(Hubble Finds Huge System of Dusty Material Enveloping the Young Star HR 4796A, NASA)

For, although their largest telescopes do not exceed three feet, they magnify much more than those of a hundred with us, and show the stars with greater clearness.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Many of these tiny groupings most likely do not contain even small galaxies, and therefore would have been impossible to detect by the traditional method of looking for embedded stars.

(Cosmic Magnifying Glasses Find Dark Matter in Small Clumps, NASA)

“My stars!” said she, “what shall I do to keep Frederick from seeing all this slopping about?”

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

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