actor

actor — noun

1. a person whose job is to play characters in films, plays, or television shows by

1.nounA2
Definition

a person whose job is to play characters in films, plays, or television shows by speaking their lines and copying how they would behave.

Example

Imani has wanted to be an actor since she watched her first school play.

be + an actor (career goal pattern)

The young actor playing Hamlet forgot his line during the second act.

actor playing [role]

Common collocations
  • talented actor
  • leading actor
  • supporting actor
  • voice actor
  • method actor
Synonyms
  • performer

    broader — covers singers, dancers, comedians, not only those playing characters

  • actress

    older female-specific form, still used in awards but losing ground in everyday speech

  • thespian

    literary or humorous; mainly for stage actors

Grammar Patterns

actor in [film/play]

actor playing [role]

Usage Note

Although 'actress' is still used for women in awards categories (e.g. Best Actress), many performers and news outlets now use 'actor' for any gender.

Common Mistakes

My uncle is an actor of voice for cartoons.
My uncle is a voice actor for cartoons.
say 'voice actor' (compound noun), not 'actor of voice'.

2. a person, country, or organization whose actions help shape how a political, soc

2.nounC1
Definition

a person, country, or organization whose actions help shape how a political, social, or business situation develops.

Example

China and the United States remain the two biggest actors in the global trade talks.

biggest/major + actors in [arena]

Several non-government actors helped deliver food to villages after the flood.

non-government / non-state actors

Common collocations
  • key actor
  • major actor
  • state actor
  • non-state actor
  • global actor
Synonyms
  • player

    very similar in this sense, slightly more common in business contexts

  • participant

    neutral — implies taking part but not necessarily having influence

  • stakeholder

    narrower — someone with a direct interest in the outcome, not just any participant

Antonyms
  • bystander

    someone who watches without taking part

Grammar Patterns

key actor in [situation]

actor on the [scene/stage]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense almost always appears with a defining phrase such as 'in [the conflict/market/process]' or with adjectives like 'key', 'major', 'state', 'non-state'. Subjects are often institutions or countries, not individual people.

Common Mistakes

He is an actor in our company decisions.
He plays an active role in our company decisions.
for a single person at work, prefer 'play a role'; 'actor' here sounds odd outside formal political or social analysis.

3. someone who behaves in a fake way to hide what they really feel or think, so tha

3.nounB2
Definition

someone who behaves in a fake way to hide what they really feel or think, so that other people believe a different version of them.

Example

Don't trust Quinn's tears — she's a brilliant actor when she wants something.

brilliant/good + actor (deception)

Greta is such a bad actor that everyone could see she was lying about the broken vase.

such a + bad actor

Common collocations
  • good actor
  • bad actor
  • brilliant actor
  • such an actor
Synonyms
  • pretender

    more negative — suggests deliberate dishonesty

  • fake

    stronger and informal — labels the person, not just the behaviour

Grammar Patterns

a good/terrible actor

such an actor

Usage Note

Almost always preceded by an evaluating adjective ('good', 'bad', 'terrible', 'brilliant') or 'such a/an'. Without that adjective the listener will assume sense 1 (a professional actor).

Common Mistakes

She is an actor when she pretends to be happy.
She is a good actor when she pretends to be happy.
this sense almost always needs a judging adjective; bare 'an actor' will be heard as the job.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe people who appear before an audience, but they differ in scope and tone. 'Actor' is the everyday, gender-neutral choice for someone who plays a character in a film, play, or TV show — Imani, who studies drama at school, will simply call herself an actor. 'Performer' is broader: it covers singers, dancers, magicians, and stand-up comedians, so a circus 'performer' is not necessarily an actor. 'Actress' was once the standard female form and still appears in award categories (Best Actress), but in everyday speech and journalism it is fading; many women in the industry now prefer 'actor'. 'Thespian' is literary or slightly playful, almost always tied to the stage, so a Shakespeare festival programme might describe its cast as 'thespians', but a cinema poster never would.

actor ↗performer ↗actress ↗thespian

Common collocations

Nouns

  • film actor
  • stage actor
  • voice actor
  • child actor
  • character actor

Phrases

  • a working actor
  • a struggling actor
  • cast an actor
  • a method actor

Prepositions

  • actor in (a film/play/process)
  • actor with (a company)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Borrowed in the late 14th century from Latin 'actor', meaning 'a doer' or 'one who carries something out', formed from the verb 'agere' (to do, to drive). At first English used it in the 'doer' sense — a person who performs an action, including in legal contexts (a plaintiff). The theatrical meaning grew during the 1500s as professional playhouses appeared, and from the 1900s 'actor' also stretched into political and social analysis to label any person or group whose actions move events along.