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 of actor

• 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

Because this is an actor who’s directing, and he’s never directed before. —Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026

Miles is a brilliant basketball player, comparable to a painter or actor with her showmanship on the court and a mind that operates at a different level than most other athletes. —Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2026

And so the actor and filmmaker ended up donating $250,000 worth of Visa gift cards to TSA workers at the Atlanta airport on March 27. —Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026

Tony-award-winning actor John Kani said he was stunned when the theatre's founders Barney Simon and Mannie Manim first told him their vision. —Kate Bartlett, NPR, 28 Mar. 2026

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
• Method 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