actor

[ ak-ter ]

/ ˈæk tər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR actor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

a person who does something; participant.

Nearby words

activity, activize, acto, actomyosin, acton, actor, actor-manager, actor-proof, actoridae, actorish, actors' equity association

Origin of actor

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

Related formsnon·ac·tor, noun

Definition for actor (2 of 2)

Actor

[ ak-ter ]

/ ˈæk tər /

noun Classical Mythology.

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

Compare Moliones.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for actor

David Prowse, the actor who portrayed Darth Vader, wished to come back but had to turn down the role because of ill health.
Juiciest ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Rumors (and Some Debunked Ones)|Rich Goldstein|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In a bizarre matchup, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor came for the 20-year-old singer this past July in Ibiza.
The Bloom-Bieber Brawl We Didn’t Know We Needed|Kevin O’Keeffe|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the actor says his childhood experience plays a critical role in his performance.
After The Fall: Introducing The Anti-Villain|Rich Goldstein|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The actor recalls an incident when his daughter was younger.
Jamie Foxx: Get Over the Black ‘Annie’|Stereo Williams|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I try to stay out of trades and all of this stuff, just as an actor to not get your head messed up.
Inside the Lifetime Whitney Houston Movie’s Lesbian Lover Storyline|Kevin Fallon|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The actor was taken to the Charing Cross Hospital, where he died almost immediately.
Occultism and Common-Sense|Beckles Willson
He was a lover of books in his youth; and his desire to become an actor was begotten in the theatre.
The Bobbin Boy|William M. Thayer
He can't just relax and enjoy the scene and become the actor like a paying customer.
The Premiere|Richard Sabia
He then seemed to lose all interest in the Union, and merely desired to become a spectator of the contest, and not an actor.
Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860-'61|Abner Doubleday
After which he never came among us more, either as an Actor or Menager.
An Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber, Volume II (of 2)|Colley Cibber

British Dictionary definitions for actor

actor

/ (ˈæktə) /

noun

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

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

usage

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

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

Word Origin and History for actor

actor

late 14c., "an overseer, guardian, steward," from Latin actor "an agent or doer," also "theatrical player," from past participle stem of agere (see act (n.)). Mid-15c. as "a doer, maker," also "a plaintiff." Sense of "one who performs in plays" is 1580s, originally applied to both men and women.

actor

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of actor

Definition for actor (2 of 2)

Actor

noun Classical Mythology.

Examples from the Web for actor

British Dictionary definitions for actor

actor

noun

usage

Word Origin and History for actor

actor