actor

noun

ac·​tor ˈak-tər 

also -ˌtȯr

1

: one that acts : doer

2

a

: one who acts in a play, movie, television show, etc.

b

: one who behaves as if acting a part

3

: one that takes part in any affair : participant

political actors

actorish

ˈak-tə-rish 

adjective

actorly

ˈak-tər-lē 

adjective

Synonyms of actor

• actress
• performer
• entertainer
• thespian

Examples of actor in a Sentence

my sister went to drama school to become an actor

Benjamin Franklin was a major actor in many of the events leading up to the founding of our nation.

Recent Examples on the Web

The actor has always had a restless talent, though. —Andrew McGowan, Variety, 14 Dec. 2025

O’Neill is like opera for actors, requiring performers who can marry feeling and high style, and this Anna Christie’s got them. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2025

Paulino recently retired as a Hamilton Township School District elementary teacher and worked seasonally as a Santa Claus actor. —Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025

Supergirl hails from director Craig Gillespie and writer Ana Nogueira, and has actors Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham and Jason Momoa as Lobo. —Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 13 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English actour "doer, pleader," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin āctor, from agere "to drive (cattle), cause to move, do" + -tor, agent suffix — more at agent

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing actor

• bad actor
• character actor
• co-actor

Rhymes for actor

• acter
• factor
• tractor
• attractor
• cofactor
• compactor
• contactor
• contractor
• distractor
• extractor
• impactor
• protractor

Kids Definition

actor

noun

ac·​tor ˈak-tər 

: one that acts

especially : a person who acts especially in a play or movie or on television