cosplay
English · Español · Français · Italiano · Português · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
cosplay
- /ˈkɒz.pleɪ/ UK
- /ˈkɒs.pleɪ/ UK
- /ˈkɑz.pleɪ/ US
- /ˈkɑs.pleɪ/ US
- /ˌkoʊˈspleɪ/ US
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Japanese コスプレ (kosupure), which is a clipping of コスチュームプレイ (kosuchūmu purei), from a compound of English costume + play. The verb is derived from the noun.
noun cosplays
- The art or practice of costuming oneself as a (usually fictional) character. Also the popularity can be seen in doujinshi and cosplay (costume play) and the popularity is not just junior high girls.
- A skit or instance of this art or practice. Central to the activity of cosplay is elaborate costuming, though some cosplays are enacted using a game system.
verb cosplays · cosplaying · cosplayed
- To costume oneself as a (usually fictional) character. She cosplayed at the manga convention.
- To costume oneself as (a [usually fictional] character). She cosplayed Sailor Moon at the manga convention.
- To adopt the behavior and mannerisms of another; to pretend to be someone or something. “He’s cosplaying as a goober,” one local [Mike Holcomb] memorably put it on Twitter.
- To adopt the behavior and mannerisms of (another); to pretend to be (someone or something). Why has the Russian Federation decided to cosplay the Nazi Third Reich by attacking the peaceful neighboring state and plunging the region into war?
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: stagecraft, role-playing, posing, makeup, self-characterization, simulationism, character, female impersonation, paracosm, body painting, face claim, persona, paracosmos, scenecraft, headcanon, mimicry
Translations
Every language
noun subculture centered on dressing as characters
| Español | cosplay |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 코스프레 koseupeure |
| 日本語 | コスプレ kosupure, コス kosu |
| 中文 | 角色扮演 juésè bànyǎn, 色扮演秀 sèbànyǎnxiù, 角演 juéyǎn, cos |
| हिन्दी | कॉस्प्ले kŏsple |
| Português | cosplay |
| Français | cosplay, costumade |
| Deutsch | Cosplay |
| Italiano | cosplay |
| Русский | коспле́й kospléj, коспле́й kosplɛ́j |
| Tiếng Việt | cos |
| العربية | كُوسْبْلَاي kusplay |
verb to costume oneself as a character
| Español | vestirse, disfrazarse |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | コスプレする kosupuresuru |
| 中文 | cos |
| हिन्दी | कॉस्प्ले करना kŏsple karnā |
| Português | fazer cosplay |
| Français | cosplayer, costumader |
| Italiano | fare un cosplay, vestirsi |
| Русский | коспле́ить kospléitʹ |
verb to costume oneself as (a character)
| Español | vestirse como, disfrazarse de |
|---|---|
| 中文 | cos |
| Français | cosplayer |
| Italiano | vestirsi come |
| Русский | коспле́ить kospléitʹ |
Talk about this word "cosplay." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cosplay. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cosplay. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cosplay "cosplay." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cosplay.Cite this
@misc{cosplay_2026,
title = {cosplay},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cosplay},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
