noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈstɑː(ɹ)fɪʃ/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S T AA1 R F IH2 SH
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Any of various echinoderms (not in fact fish) with usually five arms, many of which eat bivalves or corals by everting their stomach.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Near-synonym: Asteroidea
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sea star, asteroid, mul:Asteroidea
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: echinoderm, animal, creature
2
noun
Meaning 2
Any many-armed or tentacled sea invertebrate, whether cnidarian, echinoderm, or cephalopod.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A woman (or, less commonly, a gay man) who reluctantly takes part in sexual intercourse, and lies on the back while spreading the limbs.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cold fish, dead fish
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The anus.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang, vulgar
Topics: lifestyle, media, pornography, sexuality
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: chocolate starfish
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
To assume a splayed-out shape, like that of a starfish.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
To assume a splayed-out shape, like that of a starfish.
While floating on water
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
verb
Meaning 7
To form into a splayed-out shape, like that of a starfish.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
echinoderms characterized by five arms extending from a central disk
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sea star
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: echinoderm
History
Etymology
From star + fish.
Across languages
Translations
99 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Ainu:
オタカリㇷ゚
(otakarip)
— various echinoderms
Arabic:
نَجْمَةُ اَلْبَحْرِ
(najmatu l-baḥri)
— various echinoderms
Arabic:
نجمة البحر
(najmat il-baḥar)
— various echinoderms
Armenian:
ծովաստղ
(covastġ)
— various echinoderms
Assamese:
তৰামাছ
(toramas)
— various echinoderms
Asturian:
estrella de mar
— various echinoderms
Asturian:
estrella
— various echinoderms
Azerbaijani:
dəniz ulduzu
— various echinoderms
Basque:
itsas izar
— various echinoderms
Belarusian:
марска́я зо́рка
(marskája zórka)
— various echinoderms
Bengali:
তারামাছ
(taramach)
— various echinoderms
Bulgarian:
мо́рска звезда́
(mórska zvezdá)
— various echinoderms
Burmese:
ရေလက်ဝါး
(relak-wa:)
— various echinoderms
Burmese:
ကြယ်ငါး
(krai-nga:)
— various echinoderms
Catalan:
estrella de mar
— various echinoderms
Chinese Mandarin:
海星
(hǎixīng)
— various echinoderms
Crimean Tatar:
deñiz yıldızı
— various echinoderms
Czech:
hvězdice
— various echinoderms
Danish:
søstjerne
— various echinoderms
Dutch:
zeester
— various echinoderms
Dzongkha:
སྐར་ཉ
(skar nya)
— various echinoderms
Esperanto:
marstelo
— various echinoderms
Estonian:
meritäht
— various echinoderms
Faroese:
krossfiskur
— various echinoderms
Finnish:
meritähti
— various echinoderms
French:
étoile de mer
— various echinoderms
Gagauz:
deniz yıldızı
— various echinoderms
Galician:
estrela de mar
— various echinoderms
Galician:
cercela
— various echinoderms
Galician:
estrelamar
— various echinoderms
Galician:
gradicela
— various echinoderms
Georgian:
ზღვის ვარსკვლავი
(zɣvis varsḳvlavi)
— various echinoderms
German:
Seestern
— various echinoderms
Greek:
αστερίας
(asterías)
— various echinoderms
Hawaiian:
peʻa
— various echinoderms
Hebrew:
כּוֹכַב יָם
(kokháv yam)
— various echinoderms
Hindi:
तारा मछली
(tārā machlī)
— various echinoderms
Hungarian:
tengeri csillag
— various echinoderms
Icelandic:
krossfiskur
— various echinoderms
Icelandic:
sæstjarna
— various echinoderms
Indonesian:
bintang laut
— various echinoderms
Indonesian:
tapak-tapak
— various echinoderms
Ingrian:
meritähti
— various echinoderms
Irish:
crosóg
— various echinoderms
Irish:
crosóg mhara
— various echinoderms
Italian:
stella di mare
— various echinoderms
Italian:
stella marina
— various echinoderms
Japanese:
ヒトデ
(hitode)
— various echinoderms
Japanese:
海星
(hitode)
— various echinoderms
Kazakh:
теңіз жұлдызы
(teñız jūldyzy)
— various echinoderms
Khmer:
ផ្កាយសមុទ្រ
(phkaay saʼmot)
— various echinoderms
Khmer:
ក្រ
(krɑɑ)
— various echinoderms
Korean:
불가사리
(bulgasari)
— various echinoderms
Korean:
해성
(haeseong)
— various echinoderms
Northern Kurdish:
stêra deryayê
— various echinoderms
Lao:
ດາວທະເລ
(dāo tha lē)
— various echinoderms
Latin:
stella marina
— various echinoderms
Latvian:
jūras zvaigzne
— various echinoderms
Lithuanian:
jūrų žvaigždė
— various echinoderms
Macedonian:
мо́рска ѕве́зда
(mórska dzvézda)
— various echinoderms
Malagasy:
kintandranomasina
— various echinoderms
Malay:
tapak sulaiman
— various echinoderms
Māori:
papatangaroa
— various echinoderms
Māori:
pātangaroa
— various echinoderms
Māori:
pātangatanga
— various echinoderms
Māori:
pekapeka
— various echinoderms
Mongolian:
далайн од
(dalajn od)
— various echinoderms
Navajo:
sǫʼ łóóʼ
— various echinoderms
Norman:
êtaile dé mé
— various echinoderms
Norwegian:
sjøstjerne
— various echinoderms
Persian:
ستاره دریایی
(setâre-ye daryâyi)
— various echinoderms
Polish:
rozgwiazda
— various echinoderms
Portuguese:
estrela-do-mar
— various echinoderms
Romanian:
stea de mare
— various echinoderms
Romanian:
stea-de-mare
— various echinoderms
Russian:
морска́я звезда́
(morskája zvezdá)
— various echinoderms
Sanskrit:
तारामीन
(tārāmīna)
— various echinoderms
Serbo-Croatian:
морска звезда
— various echinoderms
Serbo-Croatian:
звездача
— various echinoderms
Serbo-Croatian:
morska zvijezda
— various echinoderms
Serbo-Croatian:
zvezdača
— various echinoderms
Slovak:
hviezdovka
— various echinoderms
Slovak:
morská hviezdica
— various echinoderms
Slovak:
hviezdica
— various echinoderms
Slovene:
morska zvezda
— various echinoderms
Spanish:
estrella de mar
— various echinoderms
Spanish:
estrella marina
— various echinoderms
Swedish:
sjöstjärna
— various echinoderms
Tagalog:
isdambituin
— various echinoderms
Tagalog:
bituin-dagat
— various echinoderms
Thai:
ดาวทะเล
(daao-tá-lee)
— various echinoderms
Thai:
ปลาดาว
(bplaa-daao)
— various echinoderms
Tibetan:
སྐར་ཉ
(skar nya)
— various echinoderms
Tongan:
alamea
— various echinoderms
Turkish:
denizyıldızı
— various echinoderms
Ukrainian:
морська́ зі́рка
(morsʹká zírka)
— various echinoderms
Uzbek:
dengiz yulduzi
— various echinoderms
Vietnamese:
sao biển
— various echinoderms
Yiddish:
ים־שטערן
(yam-shtern)
— various echinoderms
