leading man

noun

: an actor who plays the leading male role

Examples of leading man in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Redford, a leading man turned Oscar-winning director, died in September at age 89. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025 What happens next in the final minutes of The Vanishing will leave viewers squirming in their seats and hoping against hope for our vulnerable leading man. Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025 Cartier continued to dominate the red carpet this week, with four of Hollywood’s leading men wearing the Parisian jeweler’s dainty timepieces at their respective events. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2025 Since then, the world has expanded and splintered and niche-ified itself in ways even Wolfe—who was certainly the leading man in his own movie, strolling down Madison Avenue in a white three-piece suit and homburg hat as the culture wars of the 60s raged on—might not have imagined. Julia Vitale, Air Mail, 4 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for leading man

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of leading man was in 1827

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Cite this Entry

“Leading man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading%20man. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

leading man

noun
: an actor who plays the leading male role in a play or movie

More from Merriam-Webster on leading man

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