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

Expect fashion on the agenda too, with Cruise’s costars Vanessa Kirby, who attended Sarah Burton’s debut runway show for Givenchy in March, and Hayley Atwell. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2025

The View costars Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar will soon share a stage of an entirely different sort: Goldberg will appear for one performance only with Behar in the latter’s Off Broadway comedic play My First Ex-Husband. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025

Verb

Old Friends costars Sondheim’s longtime collaborator Bernadette Peters and an ensemble of triple threats performing various songs from the theater legend’s oeuvre. —Jack Smart, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025

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

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 2