shooting star

noun

1
: a visual meteor appearing as a temporary streak of light in the night sky
2
: any of several North American perennial herbs (genus Dodecatheon, especially D. meadia) of the primrose family that have entire oblong leaves and showy flowers with reflexed petals
3
: one resembling a shooting star especially in sudden and temporary brilliance

Examples of shooting star in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Some meteor showers last days, with above-average but not spectacular numbers of shooting stars visible all night. Nicole Clausing, Sunset Magazine, 3 Jan. 2024 Seventeen also posted a video of the performance from the Macao show, in which the band’s members sit atop a large rectangular video display as the enormous screen behind them displays a pastel moon and clouds bisected by shooting stars. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Jan. 2024 While a single satellite crosses the night sky like an uncannily smoothly shooting star, Starlink satellites are often seen in ‘‘trains,’’ roving the sky in linear formation. Jaime Green, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2023 Fortunately for us, most of these small pieces of debris burn up in the atmosphere before reaching the ground — and that's what produces a meteor, or shooting star. Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 3 Jan. 2024 In ideal conditions, viewers can expect to see about 50 to 100 shooting stars crossing the sky per hour, according to NASA. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Jan. 2024 Additionally, his custom Rolls-Royce Ghost flexes a ceiling of twinkling lights mimicking a galaxy of stars — including shooting stars. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023 October is an exciting time for space activity, between the approaching solar eclipse and the Hunter's Moon, but throughout the month, shooting stars will soar through the sky because two meteor showers will be in effect. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 4 Oct. 2023 From shooting stars to prime planet sightings, here’s what to watch for this month. Jan. 4: Quadrantids Meteor Shower Peak Every year, the Quadrantids meteor shower lights up the sky from around Dec. 26 through Jan. 16. Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shooting star.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shooting star was in 1593

Dictionary Entries Near shooting star

Cite this Entry

“Shooting star.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shooting%20star. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shooting star

noun
: a meteor appearing as a temporary streak of light in the night sky

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