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

Then there’s Mackie, the coolest actor Marvel has hired this side of Robert Downey Jr. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025

The actor’s preferred language is English, and Thai is his second language, but Thapthimthong said White had scripted Gaitok as having been born and raised on Ko Samui, and never having left the area. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025

The Star Trek: The Next Generation actor opened up on Thursday about his concerns for the future of the industry amid President Donald Trump’s overhaul of the Kennedy Center. —Mckinley Franklin, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2025

The actors said that they were fully prepared to take on the movie because of their previous participation in the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Feb. 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

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