animator

noun

an·​i·​ma·​tor ˈa-nə-ˌmā-tər 

plural animators

: someone or something that animates: such as

a

: an artist who is involved in creating animation for cartoons, films, video games, etc.

b

: a person who leads and encourages participation in an activity

… community animators mobilize individuals and organizations …

—Laura Payton and Bruce Deachman

Examples of animator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Amid the gloom, one local nonprofit group is working to celebrate iconic cartoons to support the animators of today — and remind people of the joy of animation. — Marah Eakin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026

As his star continued to rise, freelance illustrators and animators were excited to land a gig contributing to his music videos. — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026

The film is generally regarded as director and animator Hayao Miyazaki’s finest work. — David Faris, TheWeek, 14 Aug. 2026

The visual effects artists and animators then got to work creating digital Martians that would have the handmade, idiosyncratic style Burton originally intended to achieve with stop-motion. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for animator

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator
• calculator

Kids Definition

animator

noun

an·​i·​ma·​tor ˈan-ə-ˌmāt-ər 

: someone who makes an animated cartoon