English Dictionary | Thesaurus | Translator | COBUILD Grammar Patterns | Scrabble | Blog
  • American
  • This page in
    English
    Italiano
    Deutsch
    Español
    Português
    हिंदी
    简体中文
| Sign Up | Log In
 
English
Menu
English Dictionary Thesaurus Translator Grammar Scrabble Blog
  • American
  • This page in
    English
    Italiano
    Deutsch
    Español
    Português
    हिंदी
    简体中文
Sign Up Log In

Definition of 'actor'

Word Frequency

actor

(æktər )
Word forms: actors
countable noun
An actor is someone whose job is acting in plays or films. 'Actor' in the singular usually refers to a man, but some women who act prefer to be called 'actors' rather than 'actresses.'
His father was an actor in the Cantonese Opera Company.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Image of 'actor'

picture of actor
© MANDY GODBEHEAR, shutterstock

Video: pronunciation of 'actor'

Word Frequency

actor in American

(ˈæktər ; akˈtər)
noun
1. 
a person who does something or participates in something
2. 
a person, often, specif., a man, who acts in plays, movies, etc.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 'actor'
ME actour, a doer, steward, plaintiff < L actor, a doer, advocate < actus: see act1
Word Frequency

actor in British

(ˈæktə )
noun
1. 
a person who acts in a play, film, broadcast, etc
2. informal
a person who puts on a false manner in order to deceive others (often in the phrase bad actor)
▶ USAGE The term actor is almost universally used nowadays to refer to people of either gender who act
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Example sentences containing 'actor'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
An actor played the victim in the police reconstruction. The Sun (2016)The council is asking the public to call police if they see actors taking part in such films. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Back for the next act of a drama where the audience plays almost as big a part as the actors. The Sun (2016)He's also a pretty good actor! The Sun (2016)At the end of the play, the actor is obsessed by his legacy. Times, Sunday Times (2016)In doing so, he provides two thumping great parts for actors. Times, Sunday Times (2016)We try to sift out those who come for the wrong reasons but if you're a good actor you can get through. The Sun (2016)The implication there is that an English play needs white actors, which is problematic. Times, Sunday Times (2017)You have to be a good actor, a good painter, a good musician. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Also I couldn't sing and quite often actors have to sing. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Why did you become an actor rather than a singer? The Sun (2014)He is a great actor and father. The Sun (2006)Now imagine that most of the actors are pretty bad. Times, Sunday Times (2009)Maybe he is practising for his new job as an actor. The Sun (2015)We know they are actors playing a part for the artist to film. Claudia Hammond EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER: A Journey Through the Science of Feelings (2005)What if it was an actor whose films you detested? Times, Sunday Times (2006)Is he the most accomplished actor or a man who knows he has got it right? Times, Sunday Times (2016)Her parents were actors and often out of work. Times, Sunday Times (2007)The model of the actor combines two rather different senses of rationality. Hindess, Barry Choice, Rationality, and Social Theory (1988)But would she have preferred him to be a classical actor like his father? Times, Sunday Times (2012)Horror stories of actors finding the job spec harder than they bargained for are legion. Times, Sunday Times (2014)The characters are so believable and all the actors play their parts to the max. The Sun (2014)The most contact the rest of us had with naked actors was filming the summer solstice scenes. The Sun (2012)As a man and an actor. Times, Sunday Times (2015)My one condition is that none of the actors who play in my Sunday cricket team succumbs. Times, Sunday Times (2008)Having the four other actors play something like 30 different roles adds to the vertigo. Times, Sunday Times (2007)It's not that either actor is bad here. The Sun (2008)And the actors all played up to it, like foie gras geese at teatime. Times, Sunday Times (2014)The actors often completely rewrote the scripts, he said. Times, Sunday Times (2012)The actor's job is to play the multiple meanings. Times, Sunday Times (2007)Her father was an actor. Times, Sunday Times (2013)Generally played by bad actors. The Sun (2009)I watched it, and he's a breathtakingly good actor whose stage presence is intense and enormous. Times, Sunday Times (2013)

Quotations

An actor's a guy who, if you ain't talking about him, ain't listeningMarlon Brando

Synonyms of 'actor'

performer, player, artiste, leading man or lady
More Synonyms of actor

Trends of 'actor'

Very Common. actor is one of the 4000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

View usage over:

Translations for 'actor'

British English: actor /ˈæktə/ NOUN
An actor is someone whose job is acting in plays or films.
His father was an actor.
  • American English: actor
  • Arabic: مـُمَثِّل عامل
  • Brazilian Portuguese: ator
  • Chinese: 演员
  • Croatian: glumac
  • Czech: herec
  • Danish: skuespiller
  • Dutch: acteur
  • European Spanish: actor
  • Finnish: näyttelijä
  • French: acteur
  • German: Schauspieler
  • Greek: ηθοποιός
  • Italian: attore
  • Japanese: 男優
  • Korean: 남자 배우
  • Norwegian: skuespiller
  • Polish: aktor
  • European Portuguese: ator
  • Romanian: actor
  • Russian: актер
  • Spanish: actor
  • Swedish: skådespelare
  • Thai: นักแสดงชาย
  • Turkish: erkek oyuncu
  • Ukrainian: актор
  • Vietnamese: diễn viên

Translate your text for free

Nearby words of 'actor'

  • activize
  • actomyosin
  • acton
  • actor
  • actorish
  • actorly
  • Actors' Equity Association

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'A'

Related Terms of 'actor'

  • child actor
  • movie actor
  • method actor
  • screen actor
  • character actor

  • View more related words

Source

Definition of actor from the Collins English Dictionary

Square brackets [ ]

Square brackets are used, usually in books and articles, when supplying words that make a quotation clearer or that comment on it, although they were not originally said or written. Mr Runcie conclu...
Read more about 'Square brackets [ ]'
Word of the day:
Gaia
the goddess of the earth, who bore Uranus and by him Oceanus , Cronus , and the Titans
See full definition
Apr 22, 2018
Study guides for every stage of your learning journey
Whether you're in search of a crossword puzzle, a detailed guide to tying knots, or tips on writing the perfect college essay, Harper Reference has you covered for all your study needs.
Read more
The etymology behind 4 eggs-ellent Springtime words
We’ve explored the diverse etymology of 4 eggs-ellent words associated with spring.
Read more
Up Lit, Alexa Laugh & Meet Me at McDonald’s Hair: March’s Words In The News
Catch up on the latest words in the news this March with Robert Groves.
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Scrabble score for 'actor': 7
Latest Word Submissions
Barrecore Apr 18, 2018
wido Apr 18, 2018
centimorgan Apr 17, 2018
gender expansive Apr 16, 2018
Carthritis Apr 15, 2018
Submit View More
Browse the English Dictionary
  • #
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z
View all dictionaries...
  • View more
  • API
  • B2B Partnerships
  • Advertising
  • Word Banks
  • Collins COBUILD
  • Collins ELT
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact us
  • Languages
  • English
  • Thesaurus
  • Grammar
  • French
  • German
  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • Chinese
  • Portuguese
  • Hindi
  • Word Lists
  • WotY
  • Scrabble
  • Promotion
© Collins 2018