actor

noun

ac·​tor ˈak-tər 

 also  -ˌtȯr

1

: one that acts : doer

2

a

: one who acts in a play, movie, television show, etc.

b

: one who behaves as if acting a part

3

: one that takes part in any affair : participant

political actors

actorish

ˈak-tə-rish 

adjective

actorly

ˈak-tər-lē 

adjective

Synonyms

• impersonator
• mummer
• player
• thesp
• thespian
• trouper

Examples of actor in a Sentence

my sister went to drama school to become an actor

Benjamin Franklin was a major actor in many of the events leading up to the founding of our nation.

Recent Examples on the Web

The actor recalled seeing their accompanying Secret Service personnel. —Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 22 May 2025

This security gap feeds threat actors, and who will defend against an attack since cyber defenders are non-existent? —Dewayne Hart, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025

Rather, the city’s creative community lost not just one of its most important comedic actors and spokespeople, but one of its most enthusiastic supporters. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025

There seem to be few good actors in the conflict; in January, the United States declared that the R.S.F. was committing genocide against civilian populations. —Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 21 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English actour "doer, pleader," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin āctor, from agere "to drive (cattle), cause to move, do" + -tor, agent suffix — more at agent

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing actor

• bad actor
• character actor
• co-actor

Rhymes for actor

• acter
• factor
• tractor
• attractor
• cofactor
• compactor
• contactor
• contractor
• distractor
• extractor
• impactor
• protractor

Kids Definition

actor

noun

ac·​tor ˈak-tər 

: one that acts

especially : a person who acts especially in a play or movie or on television