Cagney

American  

[kag-nee] / ˈkæg ni /

noun

1. James, 1899–1986, U.S. film actor.

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Cagney British  

/ ˈkæɡnɪ /

noun

1. James. 1899–1986, US film actor, esp in gangster roles; his films include The Public Enemy (1931), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Roaring Twenties (1939), and Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) for which he won an Oscar.

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Example Sentences

Therefore, in his view, it was worth risking Hollywood’s ire by tinting Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney if it meant more people tuning in, whether out of curiosity or in horror.

From Salon • May 8, 2026

Cagney won his only Oscar for the exuberant role.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2025

Mr. Clooney added, “We’ve stood on the shoulders of the likes of Bette Davis and Jimmy Cagney, and it’s time for our generation to give something back.”

From New York Times • Aug. 2, 2023

The 1949 James Cagney gangster film “White Heat,” for instance, Almodóvar says, would be just the same if Edmund O’Brien’s undercover inmate was gay.

From Seattle Times • May 23, 2023

Cagney was telling some detective that Lacey had “a black belt in karate-mouth” right as Aunt Ruth walked into the room.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth