leading man

noun

: an actor who plays the leading male role

Examples of leading man 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.
An Irish actor who’s wowed audiences with delicate, intimate performances in Normal People, Aftersun, and All of Us Strangers, and who’s already inspired numerous Reddit threads devoted to his thighs, Mescal is given a chance to step up as an old-school, matinee-idol leading man here. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2024 How can a leading man so steeped in American iconography have taken so long to make a Western? Tim Grierson, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024 Being a leading man in a box office draw, all of that stuff is cool. Katie Campione, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2024 The festival will dedicate another retrospective to iconic Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, Akira Kurosawa’s long-time leading man. Lise Pedersen, Variety, 13 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for leading man 

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of leading man was in 1827

Dictionary Entries Near leading man

Cite this Entry

“Leading man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading%20man. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

leading man

noun
: an actor who plays the leading male role in a play or movie

More from Merriam-Webster on leading man

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