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 any case, Park smuggled a few zukes over the border—don’t tell Interpol—and gave one to Lily Collins, her Emily costar. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026

Due to her injury, Rose was unable to complete the first task on Special Forces — falling out of a helicopter backwards and landing in a body of water — like the rest of her costars, opting to do the jump feet first. — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026

Verb

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

Johnson has just emerged after having spent the spring on the Italian island of Stromboli and in Rome, producing and starring in Three Incestuous Sisters with director Alice Rohrwacher and costars Saoirse Ronan, Jessie Buckley, and Josh O’Connor. — Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 2