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 wine mom first became a household name not as a political actor but as a marketing concept. —Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026

This honor celebrates Domingo’s career as an actor and filmmaker, along with his work to champion underrepresented communities. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 6 May 2026

Luckily that’s not a problem for Hacks star Meg Stalter, whose final-season victory-lap press tour has centered around the actor and comedian’s forthcoming … pop-music career? —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 6 May 2026

The sketch was written by human writers and all the characters are played by actors, save for the AI girlfriend who is — yes — synthetic herself. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026

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
• Method 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