leading man
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
The film’s greatest mystery may be how an actress as gifted as Tanaka failed to motivate a leading man as naturally charismatic as Nakadai.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
More character actor than leading man, he could be relied upon to inject a feisty, fiery machismo and a cantankerous contrariness into the most mainstream Hollywood offering.
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026
But goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo proved to be Wrexham's leading man with two superb shootout saves from Jesus and Omari Hutchinson.
From Barron's • Jan. 10, 2026
This turn has directly benefited Dokoupil, who was previously ambling around the network’s morning show before getting tapped as its evening leading man.
From Slate • Jan. 6, 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
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.
