cosplay

[kos-pley]

noun

1. the art or practice of wearing costumes to portray characters from fiction, especially from manga, animation, and science fiction.

2. a skit featuring these costumed characters.

verb (used with object)

1. to portray (a fictional character) by dressing in costume.

verb (used without object)

1. to take part in cosplay.

   He cosplayed as a Jedi from Star Wars.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cosplay¹

First recorded in 1995–2000; cos(tume) + play

Example Sentences

The same shabby hero in one dimension might be a slick villain cosplaying as a savior in another, a la “Rick and Morty.”

From Salon

But his stunt points to a continuing trend of celebrities cosplaying as minimum-wage workers.

From Salon

He and Guzman explained that they are generally more interested in exclusive merchandise, custom works by artists and getting together with their friends in cosplay.

From Los Angeles Times

No doubt lots of them will dressed up in cosplay as their favourite characters from the worlds of comics, TV, films and games.

From BBC

In hindsight, the moment feels like a Rosetta Stone for his political aesthetics: a kind of populist cosplay that collapses grandeur and banality into the same tableau.

From Salon