cos·tume
ˈkä-ˌstüm 
-ˌstyüm,
also -stəm,
or
ˈkäs-ˌchüm
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
cos·tume
kä-ˈstüm
-ˈstyüm,
also käs-ˈchüm;
or ˈkä-ˌst(y)üm,
or
ˈkäs-ˌchüm
or
-stəm
costumed; costuming
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
Synonyms
Examples of costume in a Sentence
Noun
children in their Halloween costumes
a formal 18th-century Japanese costume
Verb
the days when people, costumed in their Sunday best, would parade along the grand avenue on Easter
Adjective
You're invited to a costume party!
Recent Examples on the Web
Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024
Festivities will include a costume contest for folks and their pets.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
Glinda’s not the only one with flashy fashion; the costume design, by Sharen Davis, draws from a wild, unpredictable range of time periods and trends.
—Maya Phillips, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Vogue: The costumes in the first two seasons of the show are spectacular.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2024
This was all a part of the design process for Sabbat’s costumes.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 17 Apr. 2024
In the spot, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool witnessed a robbery in progress, and went into a phone booth to change into his costume.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024
Paloma Young’s costumes are often striking, mixing the modern with the moderne.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024
There will be roller-skating, ‘70s costumes, 41 dancers onstage and audience members are encouraged to dress up as their favorite disco stars.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
The audience sits on all four sides of their pen, where actors costumed as black and white sheep wander about dead-eyed, baa-ing, munching lettuce and attempting to escape.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
But in this year’s parade, the group planned to have costumed performers pay tribute to female trailblazers and everyday women.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024
Backstage, Hayden was costumed as a voodoo priest in cape and feathers, his face coated in dazzling colors.
—Tom Stanton, Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar. 2024
De Passe costumed the world famous family group in early days, and later played a critical role in bringing the band and other Motown sensations to live television.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024
The queens are costumed in green gowns with red wigs, and of course, cowboy boots.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2024
Aside from the name, the event featured actors clearly costumed to look like Oompa Loompas.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024
Dawson pushed the limits of what a concert constituted by costuming the company and incorporating dance and movement.
—Michael J. Solender, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024
Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2024
Laurence Fishburne, currently starring in a one-man, off-Broadway play, recently discussed his sometimes unusual costume choices for this production and his experiences with costume designers elsewhere.
—Jane Levere, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
For now, Goody remains at her post in the mill each day, happily quizzing clients on the phone, training weavers, inspecting fabric, creating samples and rushing orders for costume designers, all the while bringing us closer to a past that, thanks to her, feels newly tangible.
—Rachel Dickinson, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
The dynamic even extends to their wardrobe, outfitted by costume designer Kirston Mann.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2024
Barbie, the biggest box office draw in 2023, is also a contender for best picture, but the Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. film is favored to win only for costume design and best song, according to GoldDerby, underscoring the challenges comedies have in scoring the industry’s top prizes.
—Thomas Buckley, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024
The tremendous skills and logistics involved in outfitting a historical film should never be overlooked, but neither should the costume designers working to give those traditions a radical spin—nor those creating thoughtful costumes for contemporary stories.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024
Nominations also come with videos, which range from slick documentaries to extravaganzas of patriotic kitsch; in Turkmenistan’s showcase of Akhal-Teke horse breeding, stirring music plays as herds thunder across an open field and children in riding costume dance in formation.
—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2024
While costume designers may not have whole fashion and beauty teams behind them, their creativity and mood boards give any professional squad a run for their money.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024
Noun
Ronson was tasked with dyeing the jockstrap for his stage outfit red and ironing out the sweat from his costumes.
—Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024
Festivities will include a costume contest for folks and their pets.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
Glinda’s not the only one with flashy fashion; the costume design, by Sharen Davis, draws from a wild, unpredictable range of time periods and trends.
—Maya Phillips, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Vogue: The costumes in the first two seasons of the show are spectacular.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2024
This was all a part of the design process for Sabbat’s costumes.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 17 Apr. 2024
In the spot, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool witnessed a robbery in progress, and went into a phone booth to change into his costume.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024
Paloma Young’s costumes are often striking, mixing the modern with the moderne.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024
There will be roller-skating, ‘70s costumes, 41 dancers onstage and audience members are encouraged to dress up as their favorite disco stars.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Verb
Some of the period costuming displays women’s breasts.
—Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
The audience sits on all four sides of their pen, where actors costumed as black and white sheep wander about dead-eyed, baa-ing, munching lettuce and attempting to escape.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
But in this year’s parade, the group planned to have costumed performers pay tribute to female trailblazers and everyday women.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024
Backstage, Hayden was costumed as a voodoo priest in cape and feathers, his face coated in dazzling colors.
—Tom Stanton, Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar. 2024
De Passe costumed the world famous family group in early days, and later played a critical role in bringing the band and other Motown sensations to live television.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024
The queens are costumed in green gowns with red wigs, and of course, cowboy boots.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2024
Aside from the name, the event featured actors clearly costumed to look like Oompa Loompas.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024
Dawson pushed the limits of what a concert constituted by costuming the company and incorporating dance and movement.
—Michael J. Solender, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024
Adjective
John Cena and his Birks made a case for the necessity of costume designers, stylists, his fitness trainer and comedic timing at the 2024 Oscars.
—Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2024
Laurence Fishburne, currently starring in a one-man, off-Broadway play, recently discussed his sometimes unusual costume choices for this production and his experiences with costume designers elsewhere.
—Jane Levere, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
For now, Goody remains at her post in the mill each day, happily quizzing clients on the phone, training weavers, inspecting fabric, creating samples and rushing orders for costume designers, all the while bringing us closer to a past that, thanks to her, feels newly tangible.
—Rachel Dickinson, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
The dynamic even extends to their wardrobe, outfitted by costume designer Kirston Mann.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2024
Barbie, the biggest box office draw in 2023, is also a contender for best picture, but the Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. film is favored to win only for costume design and best song, according to GoldDerby, underscoring the challenges comedies have in scoring the industry’s top prizes.
—Thomas Buckley, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024
The tremendous skills and logistics involved in outfitting a historical film should never be overlooked, but neither should the costume designers working to give those traditions a radical spin—nor those creating thoughtful costumes for contemporary stories.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024
Nominations also come with videos, which range from slick documentaries to extravaganzas of patriotic kitsch; in Turkmenistan’s showcase of Akhal-Teke horse breeding, stirring music plays as herds thunder across an open field and children in riding costume dance in formation.
—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2024
While costume designers may not have whole fashion and beauty teams behind them, their creativity and mood boards give any professional squad a run for their money.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'costume.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near costume
Cite this Entry
“Costume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/costume. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
costume
1 of 2 noun
cos·tume
ˈkäs-ˌt(y)üm
1
: the style of clothing, ornaments, and hair characteristic of a certain period, region, or class
ancient Roman costume
peasant costume
2
: special or fancy dress (as for wear on the stage or at a masquerade party)
3
: a person's outer clothing
costume
adjective
costume
2 of 2 verb
costumed; costuming
: to provide with a costume
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