Читаем Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

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 )