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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 The film was released too late for a large-scale Halloween Horror Nights attraction, but the event will feature an actor dressed as Inde Navarrette’s Nikki walking the grounds. — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 Their Conan is the host for the Oscars, a podcast host, a voice in Toy Story 5, a world traveler, an occasional actor, and many other things. — Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026 Skyler Gisondo and singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers costar as an actor and a decoy in the stings. — David Faris, TheWeek, 1 Sep. 2026 Oscar-winning actor Casey Affleck also makes an appearance with his latest directorial effort, the gothic drama Company, premiering in competition on September 8 and starring his actual partner, Caylee Cowan. — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 1 Sep. 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
  • The Broadway legend famously won a Tony Award at 20 in 1991 for her heartfelt portrayal of Kim in Miss Saigon, becoming the first Asian actress to be recognized by the honor.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2026
  • And at the Telluride Film Festival, the French actress is featured in three-high profile films that couldn’t be more different—but what remains consistent is Seydoux’s transfixing work onscreen.
    — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of actress
Noun
  • Michael Apted, the researcher who found and selected the participants, and interviewed them for each episode, died in 2021.
    — Will Barker, TheWeek, 7 Sep. 2026
  • And of course, no major participant in the meltdown has served a day in jail.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of participant
Noun
  • Aidan Hutchinson, at this stage of his career, is a perennial 12-sack, 100-pressure performer when healthy.
    — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Guo is considered the country’s most prominent performer of traditional xiangsheng, a form of Chinese comedic dialogue using word play and rhymes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of performer
Noun
  • On a muggy Saturday afternoon in mid-August, tennis player Novak Djokovic appeared to vomit into a towel and called for a doctor to check his blood pressure before unexpectedly losing a second-round match in Cincinnati.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Still, his unwillingness to spend on the margins — in player development, infrastructure, or even to have his radio team travel with the club — left cracks that have only grown bigger over time as the Angels’ playoff drought has gotten longer.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of player
Noun
  • The film also revealed that Hargitay’s biological father was Nelson Sardelli, a former entertainer, and not Mickey Hargitay, the man who raised her and Mansfield’s second husband.
    — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Beyoncé Knowles turned 45 on September 4, and to mark the occasion, the global superstar entertainer made an unusual birthday gift, of $2 million, not to herself but to the Studio Museum in Harlem.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 5 Sep. 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
  • Tim Curry, the shape-shifting English thespian whose entertainment career never failed to defy industry expectations, has died at 80 years old, according to reports from multiple outlets.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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 8 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on actor

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about actor

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