costume

play

noun cos·tume \ ˈkä-ˌstüm , -ˌstyüm also -stəm or ˈkäs-ˌchüm \

Definition of costume

1 :the prevailing fashion in coiffure, jewelry, and apparel of a period, country, or class

2 :an outfit worn to create the appearance characteristic of a particular period, person, place, or thing

Halloween costumes

3 :a person's ensemble of outer garments; especially :a woman's ensemble of dress with coat or jacket

—

costumey

adjective

See costume defined for English-language learners

See costume defined for kids

Examples of costume in a Sentence

children in their Halloween costumes
a formal 18th-century Japanese costume

Recent Examples of costume from the Web

In addition to celebrity meet-ups, the con will also feature plenty of cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event.

— amber sutton, AL.com, "Wizard World Comic Con to bring celebrities and more to Montgomery this October," 21 Aug. 2017
Haqiqi says he was motivated by the desire to show off Afghan culture through the nation’s dazzling abundance of traditional garments and regional costumes.

— Washington Post, "Kabul catwalk: Afghan models show off traditional clothing," 17 Aug. 2017
Haqiqi says he was motivated by the desire to show off Afghan culture through the nation’s dazzling abundance of traditional garments and regional costumes.

— Washington Post, "Kabul catwalk: Afghan models show off traditional clothing," 17 Aug. 2017
Haqiqi says he was motivated by the desire to show off Afghan culture through the nation’s dazzling abundance of traditional garments and regional costumes.

— rahim faiez, The Seattle Times, "Kabul catwalk: Afghan models show off traditional clothing," 16 Aug. 2017
A Gathering of the Tribes for a Human Be-in…Bring food to share, bring flowers, beads, costumes, feathers, cymbal flags.

— Longreads, "The Hippies Who Hated the Summer of Love," 7 Aug. 2017
Lang's wife also worked on the production's costumes, makeup, hair design, props and decor with their daughter Hope, who is assistant director and part of the ensemble.

— jessi virtusio, Daily Southtown, "Drama Group tackles teen angst in 'Heathers, the Musical'," 1 Aug. 2017
But there’s plenty to bring it back to life, notably Quentin McGown’s performance as Charley, and Elysia Worcester’s dancer portrayal of the Statue of Mirrors (great costume by Maynard).

— mark lowry, star-telegram, "Hip Pocket Theatre takes another taste of ‘In Watermelon Sugar’," 19 July 2017
Think of those pop-up stores that sell Halloween costumes, which my Bloomberg colleagues Patrick Clark and Polly Mosendz wrote about last year.

— peter coy, Bloomberg.com, "The New Antarctic Iceberg Is Big Enough for Runways, Water Mines, and Crazy Dance Parties," 18 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'costume.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of costume

French, from Italian, custom, dress, from Latin consuetudin-, consuetudo custom — more at custom

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1668

See Words from the same year

costume Synonyms

Synonyms

outfit, drag, dress, garb, getup, guise, togs

Related Words

apparel, attire, clothes, duds, habiliment (s), raiment; fashion, mode, style; array, caparison, vestments

Other Clothing Terms

babushka, brogue, bumbershoot, cravat, dishabille, furbelow, layette, raiment, spectator

costume

play

verb cos·tume \ kä-ˈstüm , -ˈstyüm also käs-ˈchüm ; or ˈkä-ˌst(y)üm or ˈkäs-ˌchüm or -stəm \

Definition of costume

costumed; costuming

transitive verb

1 :to provide with a costume

2 :to design costumes for

costume a play

Examples of costume in a Sentence

the days when people, costumed in their Sunday best, would parade along the grand avenue on Easter

Recent Examples of costume from the Web

According to court documents, the drummer provided feedback on a table read in preparation for the film and regarding costuming.

— matt wake, AL.com, "Judge halts completed Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash biopic," 29 Aug. 2017
Leitch lights her in pink neon and tinted blue, leaning hard into the nostalgic aesthetic of his late-’80s period piece, but Theron would excel no matter how she was filmed or costumed.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Atomic Blonde Is a Brutal, Nonsensical Thrill Ride," 28 July 2017
Off-White’s Virgil Abloh will join Monse’s Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, Jonathan Saunders, and Tsumori Chisato as designers costuming the New York City Ballet’s fall gala.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Virgil Abloh Will Design the New York City Ballet’s Fall Gala," 26 July 2017
Malinski taught herself special effects makeup and costuming from watching YouTube videos, drawing from her favorite sci-fi and fantasy films.

— jen yamato, latimes.com, "Watch one dedicated Comic-Con cosplayer transform into 'Guardians of the Galaxy's Nebula," 25 July 2017
July 8 to see 16 men perform in various states of costuming at this benefit for Bridge House/Grace House.

— sue strachan, NOLA.com, "Bold ... and the beautiful? Mr. Legs XVII stars men who dare to bare for a cause," 12 July 2017
It is set in ancient Rome, but many productions have costumed the characters in modern dress to give it a present-day connection.

— CBS News, ""Julius Caesar" Shakespeare in the Park play loses sponsors over Donald Trump likeness," 16 June 2017
While production values are minimal, Jenn Jacobs designed the costuming that distinguished the characters well, especially as many of the performers took on several roles.

— NOLA.com, "Shakespeare Fest's 'Taming of Shrew' keeps emphasis on laughs," 5 June 2017
This event begins at 1 p.m. The moderator, Barbara Washer, has over 30 years' experience directing, performing, costuming and teaching in theater.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 5 June 2017

First Known Use of costume

1802

costume Synonyms

Synonyms

apparel, array, attire, bedeck, caparison, clothe, deck (out), do up, dress, dress up, enrobe, garb, garment, get up, gown, habit, invest, rig (out), robe, suit, tog (up or out), toilet, vesture

Antonyms

disarray, disrobe, strip, unclothe, undress, untruss [archaic]

Related Words

cloak, frock, jacket, mantle, vest; drape, enswathe, hap [dialect], huddle, swaddle, swathe, wrap; accoutre (or accouter), bedight [archaic], equip, furnish, habilitate, outfit, tailor, uniform; dress down, underdress

Near Antonyms

denude, divest, uncover, undrape, unveil

Other Clothing Terms

babushka, brogue, bumbershoot, cravat, dishabille, furbelow, layette, raiment, spectator

costume

play

adjective cos·tume \ ˈkä-ˌstüm , -ˌstyüm also -stəm or ˈkäs-ˌchüm \

Definition of costume

1 :characterized by the use of costumes

a costume ball

a costume drama

2 :suitable for or enhancing the effect of a particular costume

a costume handbag

See costume defined for English-language learners

Examples of costume in a Sentence

You're invited to a costume party!

Recent Examples of costume from the Web

My father always said, Go ahead and buy costume jewelry.

— jay nordlinger, National Review, "Salzburg Journal, Part II," 22 Aug. 2017
Within that time there also can be costume changes, and whole different eras can be evoked.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "Legends In Concert: Spirit Of The King, Ol' Blue Eyes At Foxwoods," 28 July 2017
Other people's very real struggles are not costume fodder.

— marci robin, Good Housekeeping, "14 Offensive Halloween Costumes You Should Never Wear," 26 July 2017
The Netflix star earned a best actress nod for her work on the gorgeous drama The Crown (which also received nominations for best drama, directing, costume design, many more).

— vanityfair.com, "The Big Winner of the Emmy Nominations," 13 July 2017
All Sunday shows are family-fun days with pre-show child-friendly activities in the park from 4:30 to 6 p.m. including music, face painting, costume dress-up, storytelling and games.

— lisa regnante, Howard County Times, "Enjoy a picnic and Shakespeare at Patapsco Female Institute [Ellicott City]," 7 July 2017
Also, Briana Machado, stage manager/set designer; Joris Hoogsteder, composer; Alyssa Esquivel, makeup designer; Brandon Baruch, lighting designer; and Rebecca Carr, costume designer.

— staff report, Orange County Register, "Titan voice Katie DeVoe-Peterson – Scabs, scars and Hollywood: My first foray into the fringe," 24 May 2017
Costume design: Linda Cho For Linda Cho, one of the great joys of costume design lies in the process of amassing a library of research before the first yard of fabric is even stitched.

— brooke mazurek, Billboard, "Broadway's Chicest Costume Designers on Making the Season's Most Memorable Musical Looks: Exclusive," 28 Apr. 2017
Themed pieces include costume changes and musical segues that highlight the funky styling of the band.

— tony lacy-thompson, The Mercury News, "Rhythmic Circus to tap-dance into Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto," 30 Jan. 2017

First Known Use of costume

1800

Other Clothing Terms

babushka, brogue, bumbershoot, cravat, dishabille, furbelow, layette, raiment, spectator

COSTUME Defined for English Language Learners

costume

play

noun

Definition of costume for English Language Learners

: the clothes that are worn by someone (such as an actor) who is trying to look like a different person or thing
: the clothes worn by a group of people especially during a particular time in the past

costume

play

adjective

Definition of costume for English Language Learners

: involving people wearing costumes

COSTUME Defined for Kids

costume

play

noun cos·tume \ ˈkäs-ˌtüm , -ˌtyüm \

Definition of costume for Students

1 :special or fancy dress (as for wear on the stage or at a masquerade)

2 :style of clothing, ornaments, and hair used during a certain period, in a certain region, or by a certain class or group

ancient Roman costume

peasant costume

costume

verb

Definition of costume for Students

costumed; costuming

:to provide with a special or fancy outfit

Learn More about costume

See words that rhyme with costume Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for costume Spanish Central: Translation of costume Nglish: Translation of costume for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of costume for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about costume

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costume

Definition of costume

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costume Synonyms

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costume

Definition of costume

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Other Clothing Terms

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COSTUME Defined for English Language Learners

costume

Definition of costume for English Language Learners

costume

Definition of costume for English Language Learners

COSTUME Defined for Kids

costume

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