leading lady
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of leading lady
First recorded in 1870–75
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.
The plot gets pleasingly messy despite starring a leading lady who was quite literally constructed to tidy up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
They are handed an envelope from Santa containing a letter from a viewer asking how he can show his "leading lady" he loves her through food.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025
Crawford’s rise from chorus line to leading lady was driven by the actress’s commitment to her movie-star dreams.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
At 19, she was a Broadway leading lady in "Next to Normal."
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2025
One Saturday, Harold and his company put on The Minister’s Sweetheart in which the handsome village minister was in love with Gerry Morehouse, the leading lady.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
