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

The actor looked back on the production in a recent interview with The Guardian and recalled getting his costars high by swapping a prop joint for actual marijuana. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 10 Feb. 2025

Selena Gomez is proud of the work in Emilia Pérez despite all the controversy surrounding her costar Karla Sofía Gascón. —Jessica Wang, EW.com, 10 Feb. 2025

Verb

Adapted from Robert Harris' hit novel, the papal drama imagines a series of twists in the modern-day Vatican City and also costars Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow, among others. —Tommy McArdle, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025

The slasher flick, which costars Jordana Brewster, is out in theaters on Friday. —Hannah Malach, WWD, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 2