title role

noun

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

   She sang the title role in Carmen.

title role

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of title role¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Diane Keaton’s combination of beauty and kookiness won the actress her only Oscar, but the job was easy: She said the title role in “Annie Hall” was “an affable version of myself.”

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His return to the city in the title role will be seen in September and October 2026.

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Stamp's leap to stardom came when he was cast in the title role of a 1962 film, Billy Budd, based on the Herman Melville novella.

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He will next voice the title role in “The Cat in the Hat,” an animated film set to be released in February.

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Kelsey, who has spent a good deal of his career impressively singing the title role around the world, is here weighed down by his costume.

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Related Words

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