all-star

IPA/ˈɔːl stɑː(r)/
KK[ˌɔlstˈɑr]IPA/ˈɔːl stɑːr/

all-star — adjective

1. made up of or featuring the most famous, best, or most admired people in a parti

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

made up of or featuring the most famous, best, or most admired people in a particular sports league or entertainment industry

Example

The film had an all-star cast that included actors from twelve different countries.

collocation: all-star cast

Noor watched the all-star basketball game on television with his cousins.

collocation: all-star game

Common collocations
  • all-star cast
  • all-star game
  • all-star team
  • all-star lineup
  • all-star squad
  • all-star concert
Synonyms
  • star-studded

    more informal, often used for film casts or event lineups

  • top-tier

    focuses on quality level rather than fame

  • premier

    more formal, emphasises being the best rather than famous

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

all-star + noun

Usage Note

Always placed before a noun. Very common in sports broadcasting and entertainment news.

Common Mistakes

He is all-star player in his team.
He is an all-star player on his team.
the article 'an' is needed before 'all-star' because the following sound is a vowel.

all-star — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something of the highest quality or fame, but they differ in focus and register. 'All-star' has a lively, public-facing feel — it is the best choice when the key idea is that a group features many famous individuals, especially in entertainment or sports contexts. 'Star-studded' is even more informal and almost exclusively describes an event or cast that is packed with celebrities; it sounds casual and excited. 'Top-tier' is more neutral and factual, used across business and academic settings to rank something among the best without any emotional charge. 'Premier' is the most formal, carrying a sense of official status or leadership within an industry. For example: a restaurant's 'all-star team of chefs' suggests famous names you would recognise; a 'top-tier university' focuses on academic ranking; and a 'premier medical centre' suggests official recognition as a leading institution.

star-studded ↗top-tier ↗premier ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • an all-star
  • the all-star

Prepositions

  • all-star + noun (adj)
  • all-star in (noun/2)

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

The word 'all-star' is a combination of 'all' (meaning 'every' or 'entirely') and 'star' (from Old English 'steorra', referring to a celestial body, and by the late 1700s also a 'leading performer'). The compound emerged in early-20th-century American English, first appearing in baseball. The first 'all-star game' was played in 1933 during the Chicago World's Fair, and the term quickly spread to other sports, then to entertainment and general use.

First known use

1888

1888, in the meaning defined above Noun