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

Quaid was seen patting his former costars’ shoulders and giving them words of encouragement before the performance. —Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025

Tessa Thompson has nothing but love and some, uh, interesting descriptors for her Thor costar Chris Hemsworth. —Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Oct. 2025

Verb

Stephen Graham, Odessa Young, Gaby Hoffman, Marc Maron and David Krumholtz also costar in the film. —Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025

Reba costars McEntire and Peterman served as bridesmaids. —Eric King, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 2