superstar

noun

su·​per·​star ˈsü-pər-ˌstär 

1

: a star (as in sports or the movies) who is considered extremely talented, has great public appeal, and can usually command a high salary

Hollywood superstars

a superstar quarterback

The notion that superstars are protected by NBA refs is neither a new nor a particularly farfetched one.

—Jack McCallum

2

: one that is very prominent or is a prime attraction

From Wolfgang Puck to Alice Waters, America's leading chefs have become superstars.

—Marian Burros

With that the judge sentenced the one time superstar investor to three years in prison for his role in the largest insider-trading scandal in history.

—Time Magazine

Chardonnay is the superstar among white-wine grapes …

—Barbara Ensrud

superstardom

ˈsü-pər-ˌstär-dəm 

noun

Synonyms of superstar

• star
• celebrity
• personality

Examples of superstar in a Sentence

a basketball superstar

Recent Examples on the Web

But there was another Olivia Benson on the screen that night … the cat Olivia Benson, whom the pop superstar — who boasts 277 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 to date — named after the beloved character played by Hargitay for 27 seasons and counting. — Anna Chan, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2026

Trailer has dropped for Netflix‘s Hunting Gary Glitter, the former pop superstar who was exposed as a serial child abuser. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026

Goaltending needs to be league average at minimum, Howard and Matt Savoie need to take a big step, Jake Walman needs to bounce back, the bottom six needs to be more than dead weight and the superstars need to stay the course. — Janson Duench, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

The two have a (positive) history, beyond both being global superstars, who are among the most recognizable on the planet. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for superstar

• abattoir
• alcazar
• autocar
• avatar
• belshazzar
• caviar
• caviare
• cinnabar
• commissar
• condylar
• deodar
• handlebar

Kids Definition

superstar

noun

su·​per·​star ˈsü-pər-ˌstär 

: a star (as in sports or the movies) who is considered extremely talented, has great public appeal, and can usually command a high salary

superstardom

-dəm 

noun