Cagney

American

[kag-nee] / ˈkæg ni /

noun

James, 1899–1986, U.S. film actor.

Cagney British

/ ˈkæɡnɪ /

noun

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.

"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

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.

See Examples For:

Cagney

Cagney won his only Oscar for the exuberant role.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2025

It was also hilarious, since one of its founders, Mike Cagney, is a former derivatives banker at the scandal-plagued Wells Fargo who ran a hedge fund as a side hustle.

From New York Times ● Apr. 22, 2023

“Remember the old James Cagney movies when you see the head in the toilet?” he asks.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 22, 2023

Unlike James Cagney or Fred Astaire or Michael Jackson, he lacks the natural talent and grace of those performers.

From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2022

First Communion day is the happiest day of your life because of The Collection and James Cagney at the Lyric Cinema.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

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