actor

noun ac·tor \ ˈak-tər also -ˌtȯr \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

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

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actorish

play \-tə-rish\ adjective

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actorly

play \-tər-lē\ adjective

See actor defined for English-language learners

See actor defined for kids

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 of actor from the Web

There is extensive misuse of your platform by bad actors, yet even serial offenders very rarely face closure of their account.

— adam taylor, Washington Post, "The big questions for Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook’s role in Burma," 10 Apr. 2018
State elections officials could use the data to track bad actors or detect foreign interference.

— erin cox, baltimoresun.com, "These are the highlights of the 2018 Maryland General Assembly session," 10 Apr. 2018
The actor, who will star in the upcoming Aquaman film, had been embroiled in previous court proceedings pertaining to her divorce from Johnny.

— lauren rearick, Teen Vogue, "Amber Heard Donated Money from Johnny Depp Divorce Settlement to Children's Hospital Los Angeles," 10 Apr. 2018
Tonight Show guest John Mulaney, the stand-up comedian and actor, showed his knack for timing by handing out a gift for the baby, a tiny cardigan, of course.

— lars brandle, Billboard, "Cardi B Takes Shots at Trump, Performs 'Money Bag' During Co-Host Stint on 'Tonight Show': Watch," 10 Apr. 2018
The 2014 film is about a film actor (Michael Keaton) attempting to give his flagging career a high-culture sheen by producing, writing, directing and starring in a Broadway play.

— deborah martin, San Antonio Express-News, "‘Birdman’ composer brings the score to life," 10 Apr. 2018
Facebook is presenting itself to lawmakers as an idealistic company that was too naive to anticipate how bad actors might exploit its platform, echoing remarks Zuckerberg made to reporters in a rare conference call Wednesday.

— david pierson, latimes.com, "Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to apologize for his company's mistakes during his Washington testimony," 9 Apr. 2018
Lee, who bears a facial resemblance to actor Tobey Maguire, is built similar to Gardner, a stocky 5 foot 10 (Gardner is 5-11) that belies surprising speed.

— craig davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Marlins' Braxton Lee works to make Brett Gardner comparison pay off," 9 Apr. 2018
Chuck McCann, the actor, comedian, and voiceover artist, died of congestive heart failure in Los Angeles on Sunday, reports The Los Angeles Times.

— mary kate carr, EW.com, "Comedian and actor Chuck McCann dies at 83," 9 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'actor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of actor

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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