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

The couple held a September 2013 wedding ceremony in Lake Tahoe officiated by Stewart’s longtime friend and X-Men costar Ian McKellen. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026

Some 80 people attended, including Panettiere’s former Nashville costar Connie Britton and other celebs like Evan Ross and Ruby Rose. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 29 Oct. 2026

Verb

Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore Charlie’s Angels costars Diaz and Barrymore were bridesmaids in each other’s weddings. — Mariah Alanskas, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2026

At just 5-foot-3, Thirlby wore lifts in her boots to help close the height gap between herself and costars Karl Urban and Wood Harris. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 2