COSTUME

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does costume mean? 

• COSTUME (noun)
  The noun COSTUME has 4 senses:

1. the attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball

2. unusual or period attire not characteristic of or appropriate to the time and place

3. the prevalent fashion of dress (including accessories and hair style as well as garments)

4. the attire characteristic of a country or a time or a social class

  Familiarity information: COSTUME used as a noun is uncommon.

• COSTUME (verb)
  The verb COSTUME has 2 senses:

1. dress in a costume

2. furnish with costumes; as for a film or play

  Familiarity information: COSTUME used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COSTUME (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

he won the prize for best costume

Hypernyms ("costume" is a kind of...):

attire; dress; garb (clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion)

Meronyms (parts of "costume"):

wardrobe (collection of costumes belonging to a theatrical company)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "costume"):

fancy dress; masquerade; masquerade costume (a costume worn as a disguise at a masquerade party)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Unusual or period attire not characteristic of or appropriate to the time and place

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

in spite of the heat he insisted on his woolen costume

Hypernyms ("costume" is a kind of...):

attire; dress; garb (clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The prevalent fashion of dress (including accessories and hair style as well as garments)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("costume" is a kind of...):

attire; dress; garb (clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The attire characteristic of a country or a time or a social class

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

he wore his national costume

Hypernyms ("costume" is a kind of...):

attire; dress; garb (clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "costume"):

academic costume (a costume worn on formal occasions by the faculty or students of a university or college)

rigout (a person's costume (especially if bizarre))

Derivation:

costume (dress in a costume)

• COSTUME (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they costume    ... he / she / it costumes   
Past simple: costumed   
Past participle: costumed   
-ing form: costuming   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Dress in a costume

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

costume; dress up

Context example:

We dressed up for Halloween as pumpkins

Hypernyms (to "costume" is one way to...):

apparel; clothe; dress; enclothe; fit out; garb; garment; habilitate; raiment; tog (provide with clothes or put clothes on)

Verb group:

attire; deck out; deck up; dress up; fancy up; fig out; fig up; get up; gussy up; overdress; prink; rig out; tog out; tog up; trick out; trick up (put on special clothes to appear particularly appealing and attractive)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

costume (the attire characteristic of a country or a time or a social class)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Furnish with costumes; as for a film or play

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "costume" is one way to...):

furnish; provide; render; supply (give something useful or necessary to)

Domain category:

performing arts (arts or skills that require public performance)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

costumer (someone who designs or supplies costumes (as for a play or masquerade))

 Context examples 

But, you know, I have been trained as an actress myself. Male costume is nothing new to me.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Above twenty of those clad in this costume were full-grown girls, or rather young women; it suited them ill, and gave an air of oddity even to the prettiest.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

"What a good girl you are, Amy!" said Jo, with a repentant glance from her own damaged costume to that of her sister, which was fresh and spotless still.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

“Twenty-two guineas is rather heavy for a single costume. However there appears to be nothing more to learn, and we may now go down to the scene of the crime.”

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He was dressed in a rich costume of pink silk and purple velvet, and my grandfather thought he would see what he could do.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

A pair of knee duck trousers and an old sweater made him a presentable wheel costume, so that he could go with Ruth on afternoon rides.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

“And whose appearance,” interposed his sister, directing general attention to me in my indefinable costume, “is perfectly scandalous and disgraceful.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

You may be working on an important auction of historical artifacts or designing costumes or the sets for a historical film.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

My uncle drew on his driving-gloves and arranged his costume with punctilious neatness; but I observed that he glanced up and down the road with a haggard and yet expectant eye before he took his seat.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It was not merely that Holmes changed his costume. His expression, his manner, his very soul seemed to vary with every fresh part that he assumed.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)