leading man
Americannoun
noun
Other Word 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.
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 effect was unmistakably leading man: the Leonardo DiCaprio of Duke of Gloucester Street.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
The gig started as a one-time guest role but “ignited a fan hysteria so intense,” Falchuk said, that the show was rewritten to make Dane a leading man.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 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
“Ophie! I was just telling you this story about the movie I went and saw last week. Chickadee, believe me when I tell you that the leading man was just the cat’s meow.”
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.
