Star light, star bright, the last star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have an extensive list of star idioms explained!
Well, consider your wish granted as this list of English idioms featuring stars not only has the most frequently used celestial sayings, but also comes with explanations and example sentences.
And by the way, if that opening line confused you, it’s from a simple nursery rhyme often sung as a lullaby to settle a child to sleep.
Star idioms
Rising star
The first of our star idioms is rising star. Someone who is quickly progressing, getting promoted, or becoming popular or important in their chosen field could be described in this way.
“Keep an eye on Sue in accounts. She’s a real rising star.”
Aim/shoot/reach for the stars
No matter which version of this saying you use, they all mean the same thing.
When you tell someone to aim for the stars you are encouraging them to be ambitious and try their hardest to achieve their dreams. It’s a great example of a motivational idiom that can really inspire people.
“I know you can do it. Just reach for the stars and believe in yourself.”
Born under a lucky star
Do you know someone who is always lucky? Do they seem to come out on top and be consistently fortunate, no matter what they do? Then they could be said to be born under a lucky star.
“Mike must be born under a lucky star to have got a promotion within six months.”
Find some more lucky idioms here.
Blazing star
Blazing star is one of the star idioms with different possible meanings. There are several flowers that go by this name, and it’s also another term for a comet.
However, in an idiomatic sense, it has a similar meaning to ‘rising star’. A person described in this way is quickly becoming successful or popular, often being the first to do or achieve something in their field of expertise. You could also say they are blazing a trail.
“Did you see the blazing star just then?”
“I can see that Tom is set to be a blazing star.”
It’s interesting to see how many success idioms in English mention stars.
Written in the stars
When you believe something is fated to happen or will happen due to forces outside of your control, you could say it is written in the stars.
“I can’t believe we bumped into each other after all these years. It must have been written in the stars.”
This is another way of saying that something was ‘meant to be’.
See stars
Have you ever watched a cartoon where a character receives a blow to the head and then has stars swirling around them? If yes, then you already know the meaning of the idiom seeing stars.
This can actually happen in real life – some people do see flashes or dots of light after being hit in the head.
“The boxer was seeing stars after that uppercut.”
Hitch your wagon to a star
This star idiom has a similar meaning to ‘reach for the stars’, with the same idea of propelling yourself very high. To hitch your wagon to a star simply means to aim high and have ambitious goals for yourself.
“Don’t give up. Hitch your wagon to a star and I know you’ll do great.”
This one of many positive idioms that can encourage optimism in others.
Stars in your eyes
When you see stars in someone’s eyes you see how very excited and hopeful they are about something in the future, perhaps naively so. People usually use this phrase to describe someone who is being overly optimistic.
“I feel bad for her as she had stars in her eyes on the way to the singing contest.”
Don’t get this confused with the popular British TV show Stars in Their Eyes which was a talent show where people impersonated a famous singer.
More idioms about stars
Star-crossed lovers
Most of these star idioms are happy, feel-good, positive sayings, but sadly this one is not. Star-crossed lovers are two people that have strong feelings towards each other, and perhaps should be together, but their relationship is destined to fail.
“I feel bad for those star-crossed lovers as they live too far apart from each other!”
This is an example of a Shakespearian idiom as it was first used to describe Romeo and Juliet.
You can find some more relationship idioms – good and bad – in our separate list.
Think you hung the moon and the stars
This is one of the real heart-felt star idioms. Someone who thinks you hung the moon and the stars thinks you are a fabulous and amazing person. They probably love you wholly and completely, above all others.
“You granddad loves you so much – he thinks you hung the moon and stars.”
Thank your lucky stars
When you need a creative way to show how very grateful you are for something, why not thank your lucky stars? It’s a fun way of saying you should show gratitude for good fortune.
“You should thank your lucky stars that the other car wasn’t damaged.”
Stars and stripes
Perhaps this phrase isn’t exactly a star idiom, but it’s still worth knowing. When people refer to stars and stripes they are normally talking about the 50 stars and the 13 stripes on the flag of the United States of America.
“Their house was all decked out in stars and stripes for the holidays.”
This flag also inspired the US National Anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner.
The stars have aligned
When the stars have aligned it means that all aspects of a situation have worked out or come together so that something is a success. It’s saying that the conditions were just right to make something happen.
“I can’t believe the stars have aligned and we’re going to open the new shop on time.”
You may also use this in the future tense to say that the stars will align, if you are feeling hopeful about something in the future.
Starstruck
The word ‘star’ doesn’t just refer to a celestial body, it can also mean a celebrity.
So, when you are feeling starstruck, you are shocked, giddy, or excited to meet a celebrity you like. It could also be that you have a fascination with or crush on someone in the spotlight.
“I was completely starstruck when I saw Tom Cruise in the coffee shop.”
Star on the silver screen
Again, the word ‘star’ is talking about a famous person here, but in particular, a movie actor. A ‘silver screen’ is the backdrop in a cinema or movie theatre onto which the film is projected. So a star on the silver screen is just a well-known and respected movie actor.
“She used to be a bit of a star of the silver screen, but now she just plays small TV roles.”
Star-studded
In this expression, the word ‘star’ once again refers to a famous person; like a singer, actor, or athlete. So when an event is star-studded, it means it is full of famous people.
“The award show is always a star-studded event.”
You’re a star
You don’t have to be famous to be told you’re a star! This expression is used to show appreciation to someone and to tell them that they are a fantastic person.
“Thank you so much for helping set up for the party. I couldn’t have done it without you. You’re a star.”
And that’s all we have on this list of star idioms. Have we missed any? Let us know in the comments below. And if you want to stick with the nighttime theme, check out some night idioms next.
