animator

noun

an·​i·​ma·​tor ˈa-nə-ˌmā-tər 

plural animators

: someone or something that animates: such as

a

: an artist who is involved in creating animation for cartoons, films, video games, etc.

b

: a person who leads and encourages participation in an activity

… community animators mobilize individuals and organizations …

—Laura Payton and Bruce Deachman

Examples of animator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Around 30 animators worked across 40 tiny sets, painstakingly constructing a feature-length film frame by frame. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026

The process involved more 230 puppets — including 36 of the main character Prue alone — which were brought to life by a team of 49 animators. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2026

Tippett and fellow animator Jon Berg had originally created the miniature figures under intense deadline pressure. — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026

The director tapped designer William Roy Hodgson, who works at the Monuments Lab that tracked where and when all those Confederate statues first were erected, to be the film’s chief graphic artist and animator. — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for animator

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator
• calculator

Kids Definition

animator

noun

an·​i·​ma·​tor ˈan-ə-ˌmāt-ər 

: someone who makes an animated cartoon