actor

noun

ˈak-tər How to pronounce actor (audio)
Definition of actornext
1
as in actress
one who acts professionally (as in a play, movie, or television show) my sister went to drama school to become an actor

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in participant
one who takes part in something Benjamin Franklin was a major actor in many of the events leading up to the founding of our nation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of actor One simple habit exemplified the actor’s instinct to be of service to others. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 There are more and more actors which are producing the inspector robots. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Dolly Parton was more than a musician, actor, author, philanthropist, or theme-park entrepreneur. — Maria Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026 The force has since supported several non-state actors in the Middle East, from Hamas in Gaza to the Houthis in Yemen and even the Taliban in Afghanistan during the 1990s. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for actor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actor
  1. actress
  2. participant
  3. performer
  4. player
  5. entertainer
  6. participator
  7. thespian
Noun
  • Now, as her family, friends and fans mourn, questions remain about what happened in the actress’ final hours before her death at age 36, far from home at an apartment in South Carolina.
    — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Best actor, meanwhile, went to Adrian Văncică for You Don’t Belong Here, which comes with the same cash prize as best actress.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of actress
Noun
  • Before even beginning their workout, nearly every participant in Sylvia Borowska’s recent Liftonic class was crying.
    — Sneha Dhandapani, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The move prompted a rather overheated response from market participants and commentators, as either a bad look for a Treasury Secretary who had charged his predecessor with untoward massaging of market rates, or too small to matter, or both.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of participant
Noun
  • Naturally, growing up around music and holding onto my love of it, becoming a singer and performer came naturally.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Almost every great performer is at some point in their life delusional.
    — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of performer
Noun
  • Back in 2015, Parton and her team buried a chestnut box filled with physical copies of a brand new song in two formats, cassette and CD, along with their corresponding players, under her Dollywood DreamMore Resort and Spa.
    — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Joe Marler, a former rugby player whose TV star is rising after his appearance on The Celebrity Traitors last year, is also being eyed by the BBC.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of player
Noun
  • Three additional cuts by the powerhouse entertainer have broken into the top 10 without soaring all the way to the summit.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The 30-year-old entertainer, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, learned on Friday that prosecutors intend to try him for a second time on the charges.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of entertainer
Noun
  • And in doing so, Gunther often lulls crowds into becoming sporting event spectators rather than the raucous participators that most other wrestlers try to draw out of them.
    — Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Definition of participator
Noun
  • The latest entry to cross the pond is unlikely to reap similar success despite the presence of Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield in leading roles and a supporting cast featuring some of England’s finest thespians.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Here’s why that’s unlikely to happen, and a ranking of the thespians most likely to land more than one Oscar nod.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of thespian

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activity
actor
actorish
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Cite this Entry

“Actor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actor. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on actor

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about actor

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