1
as in performers
one who acts professionally (as in a play, movie, or television show)
my sister went to drama school to become an actor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in participants
one who takes part in something
Benjamin Franklin was a major actor in many of the events leading up to the founding of our nation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of actors
The gorgeous part is the richness of Cleage’s characters, radiantly realized by all four actors under Jackson’s warm direction.
—
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Of course, in my day, the actors that wanted to share with us were giant bankable movie stars, not Luke McGluke or Sadie Glutz, and whoever some of these people are today.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
If unethical actors can deploy custom frontier AI models to aggressively interrogate smart contracts and find hidden protocol flaws, human-only defensive audits will be rendered obsolete.
—Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Sources agree there are only a dozen or so actors and directors big enough to demand that a movie shoot in New York City, but that math changes with recurring TV series.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 18 June 2026
The result was a successful audio drama, a format that can benefit from actors, atmosphere and dramatic tension at a fraction of the cost of a film or TV series.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 18 June 2026
The actors reunited to celebrate an important milestone in the life of their 18-year-old daughter, Lola Momoa, who graduated from high school.
—Monica Coviello, Vanity Fair, 11 June 2026
At the time, Dillon was informed by the UK actors’ union, Equity, and the Casting Directors Association (CDA) that efforts would be made to end requests for intimate measurements.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 June 2026
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have become ambitious geopolitical actors with global aspirations.
—Judah Taub, semafor.com, 11 June 2026
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Of course, in my day, the actors that wanted to share with us were giant bankable movie stars, not Luke McGluke or Sadie Glutz, and whoever some of these people are today.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
If unethical actors can deploy custom frontier AI models to aggressively interrogate smart contracts and find hidden protocol flaws, human-only defensive audits will be rendered obsolete.
—Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Sources agree there are only a dozen or so actors and directors big enough to demand that a movie shoot in New York City, but that math changes with recurring TV series.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 18 June 2026
The result was a successful audio drama, a format that can benefit from actors, atmosphere and dramatic tension at a fraction of the cost of a film or TV series.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 18 June 2026
The actors reunited to celebrate an important milestone in the life of their 18-year-old daughter, Lola Momoa, who graduated from high school.
—Monica Coviello, Vanity Fair, 11 June 2026
At the time, Dillon was informed by the UK actors’ union, Equity, and the Casting Directors Association (CDA) that efforts would be made to end requests for intimate measurements.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 June 2026
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have become ambitious geopolitical actors with global aspirations.
—Judah Taub, semafor.com, 11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actors
Noun
-
Alaska, Hawaiian are consistent performers The AQR also singled out Alaska Airlines as the steadiest performer in the industry.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Throughout the summer, participants will work alongside Motown teams, contribute to active projects and receive mentorship from industry professionals, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the many career paths available within the modern music business.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
15 June 2026
-
The political context couldn’t be starker – for the first time in World Cup history, a host nation is at war with one of its participants.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
The actresses were filming a bachelorette party scene for Margo's Got Money Troubles and a bucket list moment took a shocking turn.—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
-
Two actresses have received the same number of Oscar noms as Close — Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett — and both won at least once.—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
And in doing so, Gunther often lulls crowds into becoming sporting event spectators rather than the raucous participators that most other wrestlers try to draw out of them.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Colman Domingo and Sarah Pidgeon are true thespians.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
14 June 2026
-
Vivienne Westwood has reimagined the outdoor terrace of J Sheekey to mark the 130th anniversary of the landmark London restaurant that started as a stall holder in 1896 serving post-theater suppers to hungry thespians and audiences.—
Mary Wenthur,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
The change quickly affected players.—
Cal Phillips
June 19,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 June 2026
-
Scotland's Ben Gannon-Doak was trying to run down a long pass when Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou ran out to grab the ball, and both met in a crunching collision that left both players down for a minute.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Actors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actors. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
