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

Sony rolled a new trailer of the sequel at CinemaCon, the movie theater trade show that’s currently unfolding at Caesars Palace. Macchio, whose performance in the original film continues to inspire and prove relevant, introduced a few scenes with his next-gen costar Wang. —Matt Donnelly, Variety, 1 Apr. 2025

The former costars have been embroiled in a legal back-and-forth in the months since, and their trial is scheduled for a year from now on March 9, 2026. —Nicholas Rice, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Verb

Selena's killer, Yolanda Saldívar, denied parole 30 years after shooting singer Actress Betty Gilpin (Glow) joined the new movie, Deadline reported in February, which had already been set to costar Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein. —Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2025

DiCaprio will costar with Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall and Teyana Taylor. —Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 2