title role

American  

noun

1. (in a play, opera, etc.) the role or character from which the title is derived.

   She sang the title role in Carmen.

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title role British  

noun

1. the role of the character after whom a play, etc, is named

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Etymology

Origin of title role

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Barnard plays the title role in the new film, which premiered at the festival and will be released later this year.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

Michael’s nephew Jaafar Jackson stars in the title role.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

He played the title role of Cordell Walker in the popular CBS series, from 1993-2001, bringing him to a wider audience.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

Roles outside of the Queen of the Night included the title role in “Lucia di Lammermoor,” the princess in “The Snow Queen,” Zerlina in “Don Giovanni” and Pat Nixon in “Nixon in China.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

We were supposed to be doing Peter Pan for the winter musical, and I was basically dying to play the title role, but it was canceled too.

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle

Related Words

• advantage
• edge
• margin
• point
• start
• supremacy
• top