stan|za /stæ nzə/ (stanzas ) N‑COUNT A stanza is one of the parts into which a poem is divided. [TECHNICAL ]
sta|ple /ste I p ə l/ (staples , stapling , stapled )
1 ADJ [ADJ n] A staple food, product, or activity is one that is basic and important in people's everyday lives. □ The Chinese also eat a type of pasta as part of their staple diet. □ Staple goods are disappearing from the shops. ● N‑COUNT Staple is also a noun. □ Fish is a staple in the diet of many Africans.
2 N‑COUNT A staple is something that forms an important part of something else. □ [+ of ] Political reporting has become a staple of American journalism.
3 N‑COUNT Staples are small pieces of bent wire that are used mainly for holding sheets of paper together firmly. You put the staples into the paper using a device called a stapler.
4 VERB If you staple something, you fasten it to something else or fix it in place using staples. □ [V n with adv] Staple some sheets of paper together into a book. □ [V -ed] …polythene bags stapled to an illustrated card. [Also V n prep]
sta |ple gun (staple guns ) N‑COUNT A staple gun is a small machine used for forcing staples into wood or brick.
sta|pler /ste I plə r / (staplers ) N‑COUNT A stapler is a device used for putting staples into sheets of paper.
star ◆◆◆ /stɑː r / (stars , starring , starred )
1 N‑COUNT A star is a large ball of burning gas in space. Stars appear to us as small points of light in the sky on clear nights. □ The night was dark, the stars hidden behind cloud.
2 → see also morning star , shooting star
3 N‑COUNT You can refer to a shape or an object as a star when it has four, five, or more points sticking out of it in a regular pattern. □ Children at school receive coloured stars for work well done.
4 N‑COUNT You can say how many stars something such as a hotel or restaurant has as a way of talking about its quality, which is often indicated by a number of star-shaped symbols. The more stars something has, the better it is. □ …five star hotels.
5 N‑COUNT Famous actors, musicians, and sports players are often referred to as stars . □ …Gemma, 41, star of the TV series Pennies From Heaven. □ By now Murphy is Hollywood's top male comedy star. □ Not all football stars are ill-behaved louts.
6 VERB If an actor or actress stars in a play or film, he or she has one of the most important parts in it. □ [V + in ] I starred in a pantomime called Puss in Boots.
7 VERB If a play or film stars a famous actor or actress, he or she has one of the most important parts in it. □ [V n] …a Hollywood film, The Secret of Santa Vittoria, directed by Stanley Kramer and starring Anthony Quinn.
8 N‑PLURAL Predictions about people's lives which are based on astrology and appear regularly in a newspaper or magazine are sometimes referred to as the stars . □ There was nothing in my stars to say I'd have travel problems!
star|board /stɑː r bə r d/ ADJ In sailing, the starboard side of a ship is the right side when you are on it and facing towards the front. [TECHNICAL ] □ He detected a ship moving down the starboard side of the submarine. ● N‑UNCOUNT [usu to N ] Starboard is also a noun. □ I could see the fishing boat to starboard.
star|burst /stɑː r bɜː r st/ (starbursts ) N‑COUNT A starburst is a bright light with rays coming from it, or a patch of bright colour with points extending from it. [LITERARY ] □ …a starburst of multi-coloured smoke.
starch /stɑː r tʃ/ (starches )
1 N‑VAR Starch is a substance that is found in foods such as bread, potatoes, pasta, and rice and gives you energy.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Starch is a substance that is used for making cloth stiffer, especially cotton and linen.
starched /stɑː r tʃt/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A starched garment or piece of cloth has been made stiffer using starch. □ …a starched white shirt. □ …starched napkins.
starchy /stɑː r tʃi/ (starchier , starchiest ) ADJ Starchy foods contain a lot of starch. □ …starchy and sticky glutinous rices.
sta r-crossed ADJ [usu ADJ n] If someone is star-crossed , they keep having bad luck. [LITERARY ] □ …star-crossed lovers parted by war and conflict.
star|dom /stɑː r dəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Stardom is the state of being very famous, usually as an actor, musician, or sports player. □ In 1929 she shot to stardom on Broadway in a Noel Coward play.
stare ◆◇◇ /steə r / (stares , staring , stared )
1 VERB If you stare at someone or something, you look at them for a long time. □ [V prep/adv] Tamara stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head. □ [V ] Mahoney tried not to stare. ● N‑COUNT Stare is also a noun. □ Hlasek gave him a long, cold stare.
2 PHRASE If a situation or the answer to a problem is staring you in the face , it is very obvious, although you may not be immediately aware of it. [INFORMAL ] □ Then the answer hit me. It had been staring me in the face ever since Lullington.
▸ stare out PHRASAL VERB If you stare someone out , you look steadily into their eyes for such a long time that they feel that they have to turn their eyes away from you. □ [V n P ] She stared him out with hard, pebble-like eyes. COLLOCATIONS stare NOUN 1