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

Fans and former costars alike flooded social media with outpourings of appreciation for his talent and grief at his death. —ArsTechnica, 7 June 2026

Rudd's career has also been marked by creating dynamic scenes with frequent costars like Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 7 June 2026

Verb

Deli Boys costars Saagar Shaikh and Poorna Jagannathan are fashion forward at IndieWire TV Honors 2026 on June 4 in Los Angeles. —People Staff, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026

Scandal costars Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn reunited for Variety's Actors on Actors series. —Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 7 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 2