a person who acts in stage plays, motion pictures, television broadcasts, etc.
a person who does something; participant.
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 )
The term actor is almost universally used nowadays to refer to people of either gender who act
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin āctor, equivalent to āg- ( see act) + -tor -tor
If you act in a play, whether it's written by Shakespeare or your little brother, you can call yourself an actor. Some actors make films, and others are on TV. Traditionally, the noun actor referred to a male performer, while actress was used to describe a female. These days, it's become more common to use actor for players of any gender. You can also use the word to describe someone who participates in some action, or makes things happen in a particular area: "She was a real actor in the labor movement." In Latin, actor means both "doer" and "theatrical player."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She was also famously linked to “American Horror Story” actor Evan Peters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
A transgender actor playing a Greek soldier who tricks the Trojans into thinking the wooden horse is really a gift has sparked outrage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Distributors are asked to provide the metadata for each individual song, which makes it possible for a bad actor to submit music using an existing artist's name, or one with a very similar spelling.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
She used the pseudonym “Petera Falk,” a reference to the actor who played TV detective Columbo.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Boaz thought of the memes he’d seen claiming that some actor was actually a time traveler, their doppelgänger found in a vintage photograph.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
She was nominated in 2024 for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Actor Hal Williams, who portrayed Officer Smitty on ‘Sanford and Son’ and Lester Jenkins on ‘227,’ has died.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
“Oppenheimer” was a summer blockbuster, making over $975 million worldwide, and an Oscar sensation, winning Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor among many other trophies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Actor Eric McCormack, who played Will in Will and Grace, shared a tribute on social media, saying Burrows left "an incredible legacy".
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Actor Frank Readick, as Carl Phillips, greets the radio audience.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
“So a welcome pause from the main actors but a fragile one, especially with side battles still ongoing.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
The production value is high, storytelling is captivating and hordes of fellow inmates get involved as actors and crew.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
With dozens of actors who lead guests through scavenger hunts, puzzles and conversations, Knott’s Berry Farm’s ‘Ghost Town Alive!’ can’t be replicated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Coburn’s play stars the married actors as nursing-home residents who connect by playing cards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
"We actors know how to change our appearance."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
