costume
Americannoun
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costumes
plural
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a style of dress, including accessories and hairdos, especially that peculiar to a nation, region, group, or historical period.
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dress or garb characteristic of another period, place, person, etc., as worn on the stage or at balls.
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fashion of dress appropriate to a particular occasion or season.
dancing costume; winter costume.
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a set of garments, especially women's garments, selected for wear at a single time; outfit; ensemble.
verb (used with object)
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costumes,
present (3rd person singular)
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costumed,
past participle, past
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costuming
present participle
adjective
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of or characterized by the wearing of costumes.
a costume party.
-
meant for use with or appropriate to a specific costume.
costume accessories.
noun
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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
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old-fashioned a woman's suit
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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
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short for swimming costume
verb
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to furnish the costumes for (a show, film, etc)
-
to dress (someone) in a costume
Synonym Usage
See dress.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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costumesimple
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costumessimple
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have costumedperfect
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has costumedperfect
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am costumingprogressive
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are costumingprogressive
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is costumingprogressive
-
have been costumingperfect progressive
-
has been costumingperfect progressive
Past
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costumedsimple
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had costumedperfect
-
was costumingprogressive
-
were costumingprogressive
-
had been costumingperfect progressive
Future
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!
Vocabulary lists containing costume
Party Parlance for Mardi Gras
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October Words
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Reading: Literature - Drama - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Or you could envelop yourself in Richard Kelly’s moody “Donnie Darko,” a teen drama touched by metaphysical doominess in which plane engines fall from the sky and death wears a rabbit costume.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Today’s stars are now doing interviews in costume, on subways, and talking to other celebrities on their various podcasts.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Brisk labels credit individual creators including art director Joe Johnston and costume designers John Mollo and Trisha Biggar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
One post showing the original Cat in the Hat costume, accompanied by the caption "Help, what do I do?"
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
They’d come up with everything together—their hero’s name, his costume, even his secret star, which was the source of his amazing powers.
From "I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005" by Lauren Tarshis
One complaint: The Rams revised their uniforms and appear to have kept those shiny, rubbery appliqués that make the jerseys look like last-minute Halloween costumes from Walgreens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Sonny Angels are three-inch plastic dolls that are generally naked, except for themed headgear and costumes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Hundreds of thousands of revellers attended the event in west London over the weekend, and people in costumes and steel bands moved through the streets as the carnival celebrated its 60th anniversary.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Notting Hill Carnival has celebrated its 60th anniversary with three days of revelry fuelled by drummers, dancers and colourful costumes.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Filled with pricey dolls in fancy costumes, it didn’t look like the headquarters of a spy ring.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
The Jive Bunny album covers and music videos featured a cartoon rabbit, with costumed actors also making promotional appearances as the character.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
A fleet company of dancers, choreographed and costumed by Spencer Liff, added to the dreamlike effect of a concert bookended by numbers from “A Chorus Line.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
The dancers, costumed in their Saturday evening black-and-white vintage best, added to the parading splendor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
Given the group’s commitment to costumed stage personas, the mixed sexuality of their members, and their name, the Village People came to represent the confluence of masculinity and queerness.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
The street was jammed with masked and costumed children making a deafening din with their penny tin horns.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
I’ve always been forward with costuming and theatrics, but it’s been cool seeing what Fabi’s been creating for our visuals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
They didn’t get to figure out staging, costuming and what made a good Beatle setlist.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
She zeroes in on the singer-songwriter’s frequent choice of yellow costuming and golden headwear, callouts to Yoruba culture and its spirits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
Baxter played most of the parts, bolstered by a riot of colour, fabulous sets, costuming and sharp scripts.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
“There is the matter of costuming her,” Mme.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
