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Synonyms

actor

1 American  
[ak-ter] / ˈæk tər /

noun

  1. a person who acts in stage plays, motion pictures, television broadcasts, etc.

  2. a person who does something; participant.

Actor 2 American  
[ak-ter] / ˈæk tər /

noun

Classical Mythology.

  1. a brother of King Augeas, sometimes believed to be the father, by Molione, of Eurytus and Cteatus.

actor British  
/ ˈæktə /

noun

  1. a person who acts in a play, film, broadcast, etc

  2. informal a person who puts on a false manner in order to deceive others (often in the phrase bad actor )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

The term actor is almost universally used nowadays to refer to people of either gender who act

Other Word Forms

  • nonactor noun

Etymology

Origin of actor

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin āctor, equivalent to āg- ( act ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Stop the escalation. End the war now. No one wants this,” actor Ben Stiller posted.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Ortiz is a trained actor and has occasionally appeared on camera as himself, sans puppets.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

This is an AI programme that behaves more like an independent actor, working through assignments containing multiple steps.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

The former “Cosby Show” actor became the subject of viral job-shaming, with critics mocking him for working retail decades after his television success.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

Houseman found the young actor sitting in his dressing room, his costume and fake beard lying to the side.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.