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

• impersonator
• mummer
• player
• thesp
• thespian
• trouper

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’s husband also confirmed the news on Facebook in a brief post. —Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2025

The actor’s agent confirmed the news in a statement shared with Deadline. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2025

But while a guest on the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, director Bong explained that his attitude toward the actors’ work inside those shots is completely different. —Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 10 Mar. 2025

Fisher-Becker's husband Tony also confirmed the actor's death in a Facebook post on Sunday, March 9. —Tiffany Kelly, EW.com, 10 Mar. 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