Synonyms

leading man

American

[lee-ding] / ˈli dɪŋ /

noun

an actor who plays the principal male role in a motion picture or play.

leading man British

/ ˈliːdɪŋ /

noun

a man who plays the main part in a film, play, etc

"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

Other Word Forms

leading lady

noun

Etymology

Origin of leading man

First recorded in 1695–1705

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:

leading man

He’s the leading man behind Fontaines D.C., a Dublin-born rock quintet that’s become one of the most exciting acts to grace a stage today.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

Matt James, the leading man on Season 25 of “The Bachelor,” ambled around with his mother in a T-shirt that read, “Raw Milk Club.”

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

The Napoli player, who has been the Scots' leading man in recent campaigns, was part of the group as they travelled from their base camp in Charlotte.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

The 41-year-old, 22-time All-Star has never had a problem with being a leading man.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

Had she missed another lengthy lecture on a movie plot and the dreaminess of the leading man?

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

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