- filled, covered with, or illuminated by stars
- of, like, or relating to a star or stars
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
star•ry
(stär′ē),USA pronunciation adj., -ri•er, -ri•est.
star′ri•ness, n.
- abounding with stars:a starry night.
- of, pertaining to, or proceeding from the stars.
- of the nature of or consisting of stars:starry worlds.
- resembling a star;
star-shaped or stellate. - shining like stars:starry reflections on the dark water.
- 1325–75; Middle English; see star, -y1
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
starry /ˈstɑːrɪ/ adj ( -rier, -riest)
star /stɑr/USA pronunciation
n., adj., v., starred, star•ring.
n. [countable]
adj. [before a noun]
v.
star•less, adj.
star•ry, adj., -ri•er, -ri•est:a brilliant starry sky.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026n. [countable]
- Astronomya hot, gaslike, bright body in space, such as the sun.
- any body in the sky, except the moon, that appears as a fixed point of light in the night sky:The evening star is really the planet Venus.
- AstrologyUsually, stars. [plural] a heavenly body, esp. a planet, thought of as having an influence on human affairs:Madame Fifi, what do the stars say about my chances for promotion?
- one's fortune or success in relation to advancement or decline:Your star will rise someday.
- a figure having five or six points arranged around a center, sometimes used as an ornament, badge, award, etc.:The restaurant was awarded five stars.
- Show Business
- a famous or well-known actor, singer, etc., esp. one who plays the leading role in a production.
- a famous person in some art, profession, or field.
- Printingan asterisk.
- a white spot on the forehead of a horse.
adj. [before a noun]
- famous, well-known, or distinguished:a star reporter.
- of or relating to a star or stars.
v.
- Show Business to have or feature as a star:[~ + object]That old movie starred Rudolph Valentino.
- Show Business (of a performer) to appear as a star:[no object]Rudolf Valentino starred in that movie.
- [~ + object] to mark with a star or asterisk, as for special notice.
- Idioms see stars, to appear to see brilliant streaks of light before the eyes, as from a severe blow to the head.
star•less, adj.
star•ry, adj., -ri•er, -ri•est:a brilliant starry sky.
star (stär),USA pronunciation
n., adj., v., starred, star•ring.
n.
adj.
v.t.
v.i.
star′less, adj.
n.
- Astronomyany of the heavenly bodies, except the moon, appearing as fixed luminous points in the sky at night.
- Astronomyany of the large, self-luminous, heavenly bodies, as the sun, Polaris, etc.
- Astronomyany heavenly body.
- Astrologya heavenly body, esp. a planet, considered as influencing humankind and events.
- a person's destiny, fortune, temperament, etc., regarded as influenced and determined by the stars.
- a conventionalized figure usually having five or six points radiating from or disposed about a center.
- this figure used as an ornament, award, badge, mark of excellence, etc.:The movie was awarded three stars.
- Jewelry
- a gem having the star cut.
- the asterism in a crystal or a gemstone, as in a star sapphire.
- a crystal or a gemstone having such asterism.
- See star facet.
- Printingan asterisk.
- Show Businessa person who is celebrated or distinguished in some art, profession, or other field.
- Show Businessa prominent actor, singer, or the like, esp. one who plays the leading role in a performance.
- Military[U.S. Mil.]See battle star.
- Military[U.S. Navy.]
- a gold or bronze star worn on the ribbon of a decoration or medal to represent a second or subsequent award of the same decoration or medal.
- a silver star worn in place of five gold or bronze stars.
- a white spot on the forehead of a horse.
- Heraldry
- a mullet.
- make someone see stars, to deal someone a severe blow causing the illusion of brilliant streaks of light before the eyes:The blow on the head made him see stars, and the next thing he knew he was in the hospital.
- thank one's lucky stars, to acknowledge one's good fortune;
be grateful:Instead of complaining about hospital bills she should thank her lucky stars she's still alive.Also, thank one's stars.
adj.
- celebrated, prominent, or distinguished;
preeminent:a star basketball player; a star reporter. - of or pertaining to a star or stars.
v.t.
- to set with or as with stars;
spangle. - Show Businessto feature as a star:an old movie starring Rudolph Valentino.
- to mark with a star or asterisk, as for special notice.
v.i.
- to shine as a star;
be brilliant or prominent. - Show Business(of a performer) to appear as a star:He starred in several productions of Shaw's plays.
- bef. 900; Middle English sterre, Old English steorra; cognate with Old High German sterra; akin to Old High German sterno, Old Norse stjarna, Gothic stairno, Latin stella, Greek asté̄r, Sanskrit stṛ
'starry' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):