costume

American  

[kos-toom, -tyoom, ko-stoom, -styoom] / ˈkɒs tum, -tyum, kɒˈstum, -ˈstyum /

noun

1. a style of dress, including accessories and hairdos, especially that peculiar to a nation, region, group, or historical period.

2. dress or garb characteristic of another period, place, person, etc., as worn on the stage or at balls.

3. fashion of dress appropriate to a particular occasion or season.

   dancing costume; winter costume.

4. a set of garments, especially women's garments, selected for wear at a single time; outfit; ensemble.

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verb (used with object)

costumed, costuming

1. to dress; furnish with a costume; provide appropriate dress for.

   to costume a play.

adjective

1. of or characterized by the wearing of costumes.

   a costume party.

2. meant for use with or appropriate to a specific costume.

   costume accessories.

costume British  

/ ˈkɒstjuːm /

noun

1. a complete style of dressing, including all the clothes, accessories, etc, worn at one time, as in a particular country or period; dress

   national costume

2. old-fashioned a woman's suit

3. a set of clothes, esp unusual or period clothes, worn in a play by an actor or at a fancy dress ball

   a jester's costume

4. short for swimming costume

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verb

1. to furnish the costumes for (a show, film, etc)

2. to dress (someone) in a costume

Related Words

See dress.

Other Word Forms

• recostume
  verb (used with object)
• uncostumed
  adjective
• well-costumed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of costume

1705–15; < French < Italian: usage, habit, dress; doublet of custom

Explanation

A costume is a set of clothes you wear when you want to dress up like another person. You might wear a witch's costume to go trick-or-treating on Halloween, or put on a George Washington costume to reenact a scene from the American Revolution in a play. A costume is a set of clothes that is unique to a particular person or time period. If you were starring as Dorothy in your neighborhood production of The Wizard of Oz, your costume would consist of a blue-and-white checkered dress and ruby slippers. On the other hand, if you were starring as Lady Godiva, you wouldn't need much of a costume at all!

Example Sentences

And at the same time, the Bezos’ hefty contribution to the Met’s Costume Institute goes a long way in making the organization self-sufficient.

From Salon • May 6, 2026

Celebrities are arriving to the 2026 Met Gala with their take on this year's theme - Costume Art - where organisers asked attendees to experiment with the lavish and whimsical dress code.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

The "Costume Art" exhibit, which opens on May 10 at the venerable museum in Manhattan, will seek to explore the "dressed body" in artworks across the centuries.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

In addition to funding these grants through their foundation, the couple is the lead sponsor of this year’s Met Gala, a glitzy fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

At first she had worked in Pots and Pans, but now they had changed her to Costume Jewelry.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

Related Words

• apparel
• attire
• dress
• ensemble
• fashion
• garb
• getup
• style
• suit
• uniform
• wardrobe