star player
26
2.0
- noun
- He quickly established himself as the team’s star player due to his exceptional skills.
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Watch on YouTubeThree of my star players last year are having tough years this year.
- Three of my star players last year are having tough years this year.
- But Andres Escobar was the star player and captain of Athletico Nacional and Pablo was effectively bankrolling and controlling that side.
Examples
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He's the star player of the team.
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Now our star player vows never to pick up a basketball again.
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Three of my star players last year are having tough years this year.
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Go out and give your star player the support he needs.
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I quickly became the team's star player.
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The Mean Machine really need their star player... to pick up his game now.
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The star player has just arrived.
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Listen, you just got to treat her like you are the coach and she is the star player.
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Even with the star player, I do not think they will make the playoffs next year.
Blog text (20) -
You're not thinking of taking our star player, now, are you?
Synonyms
492
1.0
A person who is better than all others in a group
217
2.8
A very famous and successful person in entertainment or sports
80
4.4
A player judged most valuable to their team's success
42
3.2
An important person who helps decide what happens in a group
34
3.8
A person or company that has a lot of power in a field
20
3.8
A person or thing much more impressive than others in a group
16
3.0
A person or thing that stands out in a performance
16
3.1
A player who helps their team most during a season and wins an award
5
3.2
A very famous and successful person, often in music or sports
5
6.7
A person who is best in a group or class
Antonyms
How Important
217
2.8
26
2.0
42
3.2
40
3.1
- UK
1
5.7
- Informal
2
6.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the most outstanding player' is directly and compositionally derived from 'star' (an outstanding or celebrated figure) + 'player' (a competitor), so a learner who knows both words can infer the combined meaning. This metaphoric use of 'star' to mean top performer is common across languages and follows a regular noun-noun compounding pattern, making it transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Star player comes from the image of a bright star shining above others in the night sky. If someone 'shines' like that and gets all the attention, a star player is 'the most outstanding or important player in a team'.