leading lady

noun

: an actress who plays the leading female role

Examples of leading lady in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Beginning her career in Hollywood at the age of 5, Wood became an iconic figure in film and television after seamlessly transitioning from child star to leading lady. Alex Gurley, People.com, 29 Nov. 2024 The first-time leading lady, who has cerebral palsy herself, instills her character with effervescence, gumption and a winning, earnest sincerity. Courtney Howard, Variety, 27 Nov. 2024 From the start, Chu knew that there was no way to make a film adaptation of the Broadway musical and not feature the original leading ladies, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 25 Nov. 2024 Yesterday, the cast—regrettably sans Timothée Chalamet—gathered in London for a screening of the Bob Dylan biopic, where Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro delivered very different takes on their leading lady style. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for leading lady 

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of leading lady was in 1860

Dictionary Entries Near leading lady

Cite this Entry

“Leading lady.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading%20lady. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

leading lady

noun
: an actress who plays the leading female role in a play or movie

More from Merriam-Webster on leading lady

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!