Olivier

American

[oh-liv-ee-ey] / oʊˈlɪv iˌeɪ /

noun

Laurence (Kerr) Baron Olivier of Brighton, 1907–89, English actor and director.

Olivier British

/ əˈlɪvɪˌeɪ /

noun

Laurence ( Kerr ), Baron Olivier of Brighton. 1907–89, English stage, film, and television actor and director: director of the National Theatre Company (1961–73): films include the Shakespeare adaptations Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948), and Richard III (1956)

"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.

Sunday night's Olivier Awards were all about Paddington, Rosamund Pike's celebratory return to the West End and Rachel Zegler's love letter to theatre.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Cate Blanchett, Rachel Zegler, and Paddington Bear were among the stars walking the red carpet at this year's Olivier Awards, which celebrate the best of British theatre.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Mr. Olivier is trying to challenge an ordinance in Brandon, Miss., that restricts protests near a public amphitheater.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

She emphasizes that Mr. Olivier’s suit seeks “only forward-looking relief—nothing to do with Olivier’s prior conviction,” and it “is not about what Olivier did in the past.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Because Ollie, Olivier, Laurence Olivier, when Bas was feeling silly, is now wearing the gray Gestapo uniform of Elsbeth’s husband’s.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

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