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Bronze Star

Bronze Star

11 5.3
A United States military medal given for bravery or good service in a combat area
  • noun
  • /brɒnz stɑr/
  • Formal
translation icon : Estrella de Bronce
  • His Vietnam service earned him a Bronze Star and a Distinguished Service Medal.

You are a recipient of the Bronze Star with V for Balor.

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Examples

  • My father was awarded the Bronze Star by General Patton.

    Blog text (11)
  • For his heroics, Poschner received a Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Distinguished Service Cross.

    Academic text (2014)
  • I received a Bronze Star.

  • His military awards include the Bronze Star and the Air Medal, among others.

    Blog text (18)
  • In 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army, earning the Bronze Star.

    Academic text (1993)
  • He was awarded the Bronze Star for his bravery.

  • He won a Bronze Star for leading a combat engineering platoon in Vietnam.

    Academic text (2007)
  • He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

  • Sgt. Stoops was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor.

    Blog text (23)
  • For his exceptional bravery in battle, Sergeant Thompson was awarded the Bronze Star.

Synonyms

Bronze Star Medal
vsBronze Star
  • Formal
1 6.3

A United States military medal given for bravery or very good service in battle, not involving flying

is the same official award but with an added noun in the name

Surface Forms

Bronze Star singular
Bronze Stars plural

Morphology

Bronze + star

Knowing 'bronze' and 'star' a B1 learner could infer a literal bronze-colored star or more plausibly a type of award/decoration (stars are commonly used as insignia and 'bronze' often marks a rank), so part of the concept is guessable. However, the precise sense — a specific United States military decoration awarded for heroic or meritorious service in combat with particular eligibility rules — is a culture-specific, named award that cannot be fully derived from the constituents alone.

Etymology

Bronze Star comes from a U.S. Army medal that is a small star made of bronze. Soldiers receive the Bronze Star for 'bravery' or very good service while fighting on the ground, so the name means an honor for brave actions in battle.