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

His extraterrestrial performance earned him and costar Pam Dawber an ABC spinoff called Mork & Mindy, which ran from 1978 to 1982. — Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026

Family Affair actress Kathy Garver has opened up about the tragic death of her 18-year-old former costar and child actor, Anissa Jones. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026

Verb

Ewan McGregor was excited to finally costar in a movie with Anne Hathaway. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026

The series costars Kaia Gerber, Igby Rigney, Graham Campbell, Hayes Warner, Evan Rachel Wood, and Wes Bentley. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 2