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# costume

noun (costume, costumes); adjective use (costume party)

«costume» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A costume is a set of special clothes worn to look like someone or something else: a pirate costume, a Halloween costume. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/#m1)
2. A costume is the clothes worn by actors in a play or film. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/#m2)
3. A costume is the clothes typical of a country or a time in history: national costume, Victorian costume. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/#m3)
4. In the UK, Ireland and Australia, a (swimming) costume is a swimsuit (Australia also «cozzie»). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/#m4)

### In the lessons

In everyday life: children wear costumes for Halloween, World Book Day (dressed as book characters), school plays and fancy-dress parties. In history lessons, pupils look at costumes from Victorian, Roman or Tudor times. Safety: Halloween costumes should let you see well and be seen in the dark (reflective tape, a torch) and be fire-safe — keep away from candles; masks can block vision. Phrases: dress up in a costume, fancy-dress costume, costume party, national costume, swimming costume.

### Examples

- I'm going as a dragon in my Halloween costume. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/#x1)
- On World Book Day, I dressed as the Gruffalo. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/#x2)
- The actors changed costumes between scenes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/#x3)
- Don't forget your swimming costume for the lesson. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/#x4)
- In Scotland, a kilt is part of the national costume. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/#x5)
- We looked at Victorian costumes at the museum. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/#x6)
- Make sure your mask lets you see the road. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/#x7)
- "But one of the Princes wears just the same costume." [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/#x8)

### Note

Countable: costumes. Do not confuse with «custom» (a tradition or habit) or «customer». In American English, «swimsuit» or «bathing suit»; in British English also «swimming costume». A costume is worn for fun or a part, not as everyday clothing.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «costume» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/costume/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«costume» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/costume.html) on Mova free.