costar

1 of 2

noun

co·star ˈkō-ˌstär

variants or co-star

plural costars or co-stars

Synonyms of costar

: 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

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

intransitive : to appear with another star in a movie, play, etc.

Examples of costar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

Skyler Gisondo and singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers costar as an actor and a decoy in the stings. — David Faris, TheWeek, 1 Sep. 2026 Lori Loughlin is back on Instagram, and she's got some hands to hold onto with her former costars by her side. — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Verb

Dan Stevens, Eric Wareheim, Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Alex Pereira, Drew Starkey and Rebecca Hall also costar. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026 Tim Curry died on Tuesday night at the age of 80, and his Clue costars Lesley Ann Warren and Michael McKean spoke highly on social media of their colleague in the 1985 comedy mystery classic. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for costar

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of costar was in 1888

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

Costanoan

costar

costard

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Costar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/costar. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

costar

noun

verb

Examples of costar in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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