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

• actress
• performer
• entertainer
• thespian

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

But Lee—a veteran actor with over three decades of success starring in numerous Korean blockbusters like Sandglass, New World and the Along with the Gods franchise—knew to trust his gut. —Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

The connection between the two actors as performers happened straight away. —Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025

Synthesia, this year, took steps to compensate the actors who work with it beyond just cash, announcing a $1 million equity fund that gives company shares to the actors who work to create AI avatars. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 26 June 2025

On Thursday, the 48-year-old British actor was seen greeting Kim Kardashian, and later, photographed dining with pals. —Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 26 June 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