leading man

noun

: an actor who plays the leading male role

Examples of leading man in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Threads from each of the 21 previous Marvel films come to a head in this satisfying, unexpectedly emotional finale which is notable for passing the baton from Tony Stark to Spider-Man in terms of MCU leading men. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024 The latter movie opened up numerous doors for Quan who will now be making his leading man and action hero debut with Universal Pictures and 87North’s Love Hurts, which will open Feb. 7, 2025. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Oct. 2024 Aside from leading man Tom Hardy, who plays investigative journalist Eddie Brock, there’s Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans (Welsh, to be specific), and a return for Stephen Graham, coming back for more (but not much) after Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Damon Wise, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2024 Her grandson Ibrahim Ali Khan is due to make his debut as a leading man imminently. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 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 5 Nov. 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

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!