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

Following his death, Ransone's former costars paid tribute to him, including Channing Tatum and Natasha Lyonne. —Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026

Still, Slater, who's in a relationship with his costar in the franchise, Ariana Grande, offered a few words on the subject. —Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Jan. 2026

Verb

Abrams celebrated the arrival of 2026 with boyfriend Paul Mescal and friends including his Normal People costar Daisy Edgar-Jones and his Gladiator II costar Fred Hechinger, rang in the new year with the couple. —Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026

The film, which is out now, costars Sissy Spacek, LaKeith Stanfield, and Nick Nolte. —Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 2