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

After all, the biggest psychological leverage that a threat actor is going to have at this stage is the sense of urgency. —Raymond Umerley, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025

The Australian actor, who died Aug. 15 at 79, taped one last scene earlier this summer as Colin Atkinson. —Lynette Rice, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2025

But leave it to Benny Safdie, in his solo feature directorial debut, to showcase a new side of Johnson as an actor, playing early Ultimate Fighting Championship favorite Mark Kerr. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2025

The actor, 82, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that the Netflix series his daughter-in-law Lily Collins leads, about a young woman who relocates to Paris for a job opportunity, isn't his cup of tea. —Nicholas Rice, People.com, 24 Aug. 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