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

In the snap, Lohan poses with costar Jamie Lee Curtis while wearing a metallic dress and smoky makeup look. —Catherine Santino, People.com, 29 July 2025

Last week, as the costars posed on the red carpet at the film's London premiere, Anderson leaned up and gave Neeson a smooch on his cheek. —Jay Stahl, USA Today, 29 July 2025

Verb

The film, which also costars Jesse Plemons and Riz Ahmed, is due in theaters October 2026. —Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 11 July 2025

Producers of the movie version of the story, which costars Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson, said in their statement to EW the issue was not theirs. —Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 8 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 2