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leading lady

noun

: an actress who plays the leading female role

Examples of leading lady 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.
Both leading ladies starred in videos showcasing Team USA’s curling and figure-skating teams shared earlier this month in partnership with NBC. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2025 More recently, the film’s leading ladies were confirmed, with Saoirse Ronan cast as Linda McCartney, Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono, and Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025 Elle celebrated some of this year’s leading ladies at its annual Women in Hollywood event on Monday, with Jennifer Aniston, Emily Blunt, Rose Byrne, Teyana Taylor, Jessie Buckley, Chase Infiniti, Renate Reinsve and Sinners‘ Hailee Steinfeld, Jayme Lawson and Wunmi Mosaku all being feted. Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 18 Nov. 2025 Jones — whose husband, Uche Ojeh, died in May at the age of 45 after being diagnosed with brain cancer — shared with the two leading ladies the impact the second film had on her own personal grief journey. Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for leading lady

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of leading lady was in 1860

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Cite this Entry

“Leading lady.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading%20lady. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

leading lady

noun
: an actress who plays the leading female role in a play or movie

More from Merriam-Webster on leading lady

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