costar

1 of 2

noun

co·​star ˈkō-ˌstär 

variants or co-star

plural costars or co-stars

: one of two or more main performers who star in a movie, play, etc.

… the star seems more relaxed and confident, and there's a bracing snap to the byplay between him and his costars.

—Mark Harris

costar

2 of 2

verb

variants or co-star

costarred or co-starred; costarring or co-starring

1

transitive : to employ or present (someone) as one of two or more leading performers in a movie, play, etc.

Directed by Lasse Hallström … and costarring a fine ensemble …

—Leonora Langley

2

intransitive : to appear with another star in a movie, play, etc.

Examples of costar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Kevin Costner made sure to acknowledge the death of Graham Greene, one of his costars in the 1990 movie Dances With Wolves. —Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 3 Sep. 2025

In an interview with Glamour magazine, alongside her The Morning Show costars, Aniston, 56, opened up about what keeps her youthful. —Clare Fisher, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Verb

Pullman’s newest movie, The Testament of Ann Lee, which costars Amanda Seyfried, premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Monday. —Angel Saunders, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Bening will costar on the series as Beulah Jackson, who's described as the powerful, cunning, and charming head of a major ranch in Texas. —EW.com, 31 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 2