star turn
noun
1
a
: a performance, role, or appearance (as in a movie or television show) that is done by a star or well-known personality
… we might see a Best Actress nod for Jane Horrock's nuanced portrayal in Life Is Sweet instead of Bette Midler's star turn in For the Boys …—
Peter Travers
Peter TraversSlater … delivers a surprisingly effective performance in this otherwise muddled thriller made before his attention-grabbing star turn in Heathers.—Ed Hulse
Ed Hulse… she would surely dump the bother of serving as Alaska's besieged governor for a lucrative star turn on Fox News.—Frank Rich
Frank Rich
b
: an outstanding performance or prominent role in or contribution to something
The fresh, soft, white Italian cheese called mascarpone is most famous for its star turn in tiramisu …—Jane Daniels Lear
Jane Daniels LearThe football gods would return the favor early in the fourth quarter on a strangely similar play that bounced Indy's way, with center Jeff Saturday getting the star turn.—Michael Silver
Michael Silver2
chiefly British
: the featured skit or number in a theatrical production
also
: the most outstanding or prominent person or thing in a group
The star turn of a recent lunch in the plant-filled conservatory was a Goan curry—chunks of succulent chicken breast in a sauce the color of pesto, made with green chilies and coriander. —R. W. Apple, Jr.
R. W. Apple, Jr. Examples of star turn in a Sentence
She was nominated for an Oscar for her star turn as a single mother raising three children alone.
She was the star turn in yesterday's game.
Recent Examples on the Web
Casting Lopez and then Luna helped relieve the pressure to cast a big-name as the male lead, paving the way for a revelatory star turn from Tonatiuh.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
That spirit manages to survive a patently modern star turn from Mark Wahlberg, whose incapacity for nuance and self-reflection is well-served by a role that has little interest in either.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025
Schilling’s star turn under Podres, in the 1993 postseason, was just an appetizer for his heroics in the 2000s.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
At one point, the LIV Golf star turns to the camera and delivers a short but powerful message.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for star turn
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Jenelle Riley, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
That spirit manages to survive a patently modern star turn from Mark Wahlberg, whose incapacity for nuance and self-reflection is well-served by a role that has little interest in either.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025
Schilling’s star turn under Podres, in the 1993 postseason, was just an appetizer for his heroics in the 2000s.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
At one point, the LIV Golf star turns to the camera and delivers a short but powerful message.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for star turn
Cite this Entry
“Star turn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/star%20turn. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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