cosplay

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noun

cos·play ˈkäz-ˌplā

ˈkäs-

plural cosplays

: the activity or practice of dressing up as a character from a work of fiction (such as a comic book, video game, or television show)

In cosplay, a good costume is as much about creativity with materials and construction as it is about the outcome. So while some people spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on custom outfits for cons, many more invest in time, using cheap materials and household items to transform themselves into characters of superhuman, mythical proportions.—

Jamal Jordan

—often used before another noun

cosplay fansFestivities would not be complete without a cosplay competition.—

Charlotte Bray

cosplay

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verb

cosplayed; cosplaying; cosplays

intransitive : to engage in cosplay

cosplaying as anime characters

The positive reaction he received from fellow conventioneers felt so good that he's been cosplaying ever since.—

Pam Kragen

transitive : to dress up as (a fictional character) in cosplay

She said she has cosplayed other women in science fiction or fantasy, but Wonder Woman is the first woman superhero, and one of the earliest representations of a strong, capable woman she saw growing up.—

Rebecca White

cosplaying noun

Cosplaying is a big, colorful part of Tokyo in Tulsa and it's safe to say that, other than Halloween, Broken Arrow has never been populated by this many costumed characters. —

Jimmie Tramel

a cosplaying event

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Still, the Grammy winner is no stranger to animal cosplay. —

Sabrina Park, Harper's BAZAAR, 20 June 2023 And in a real way, Keaton laid the groundwork for the stars that took up the mantle after him, setting the live-action precedent of emphasizing the man as much as the Bat — of playing Bruce Wayne like a tortured soul, vanquishing his demons through psychodramatic cosplay. —

Vulture, 17 June 2023 Learn more: Celebrities, main events, cosplay events. —

Tommy Cummings, Dallas News, 8 June 2023 The annual pop-culture and cosplay gathering takes place June 2-4 at the Phoenix Convention Center downtown. —

Jill Cassidy, The Arizona Republic, 25 May 2023 In addition to inspiring a mini dance challenge, the song is widely used for anime girl cosplay content, and is also a favorite of none other than North West. —

Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 5 May 2023 The British model and actor arrived at the after-party for the 2023 Met Gala in honor of fashion powerhouse Karl Lagerfeld in full Lagerfeld cosplay. —

Leah Dolan, CNN, 2 May 2023 More:LouisvilleCon brings comics and cosplay to fans. —

Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 4 Apr. 2023 This raises the question of whether the guy ever existed, or was just a character in some Beltway cosplay conspiracy game weekend adventure. —

Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 16 June 2023

Verb

The fan also mentioned how Sandoval essentially cosplays as a server while also failing at being an entertainer. —

Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 27 June 2023 Complete with Rodrigo's signature middle-part pigtails, Aurea could perfectly cosplay as the popstar. —

Kaitlyn McNab, Allure, 27 May 2022 Miller cosplays as Toadette from Mario Kart and gives a bizarre red-carpet interview to Clevver News in character. —

Vulture, 3 May 2023 The play village erected in the backyard of Kim Kardashian’s family compound features a life-size KKW Beauty boutique, allowing her children to cosplay as beauty moguls from birth, basically. —

Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 28 Mar. 2023 Alas, Tanya would rather cosplay Monica Vitti. —

Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 6 Dec. 2022 While her friend Charlotte chose Ekko from Arcane, D'Mari opted to cosplay the aristocrat Mel. —

Gabi Thorne, Allure, 17 Oct. 2022 Ready to enter your goth (makeup) phase, or simply looking to cosplay as your favorite Addams girl? —

Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 8 Dec. 2022 The effect was hypnotic and dissonant, as if Glinda the Good Witch decided to cosplay as a troll, but couldn’t stop glowing. —

Faran Krentcil, ELLE, 11 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cosplay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

cos(tume) entry 1 + play entry 1, after Japanese kosupure, short for kosuchūmupurē, borrowed from English costume + (role) play

Note: The Japanese word was allegedly introduced in print by the Japanese publisher and media producer Noboyuki Takahashi (born 1957) in the June, 1983 issue of the magazine Mai Anime/My Anime (see Brian Ashcraft and Luke Plunkett, Cosplay World [Prestel, 2014], pp. 18-20; the authors quote from an interview with Takahashi and reproduce pages from the magazine).

Verb

derivative of cosplay entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1993, in the meaning defined above

Verb

2002, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of cosplay was in 1993

See more words from the same year