actors

noun

plural of actor
1
as in performers
one who acts professionally (as in a play, movie, or television show) my sister went to drama school to become an actor

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in participants
one who takes part in something Benjamin Franklin was a major actor in many of the events leading up to the founding of our nation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of actors The film’s procedural aspect ticks along just fine, holding the attention without subverting expectations, and carried by actors who, much like the detectives in this case, are ultra-capable professionals with no inclination to go rogue on us. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026 During this time Turner’s name was frequently included on the list of actors being considered to play James Bond in the next entry of the long-running franchise, which is set to be directed by Denis Villeneuve. — L. Sue Baugh, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026 The human actors thread the film’s tonal needle properly as well. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026 Our distinguished community of musical-theater actors deserves greater challenges and if theaters don’t train audiences to take a risk on newer material, its embrace will be yet harder in generations to come. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 Eastman initiated the casting for Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972) and worked with Fred Roos to hire actors for the eventual Oscar winner for best picture. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026 But just like actors and live production crews, these creatives are also feeling the squeeze. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026 The attacks have also been linked through public research and reporting to state actors and private companies that develop surveillance tools on their behalf. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026 This included a fake product placement for the sauce in an episode of Bosch and one of the actors throwing out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game. — Peter White, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actors
  1. performers
  2. participants
  3. actresses
  4. participators
  5. thespians
  6. players
Noun
  • Alaska, Hawaiian are consistent performers The AQR also singled out Alaska Airlines as the steadiest performer in the industry.
    — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Definition of performers
Noun
  • Apart from a few dissenters, most of our participants thought that China could, in fact, rely on its economic and technological engine to ride out these storms.
    — Ben Bland, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The market decides, and participants can take their—literal—shot to win.
    — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of participants
Noun
  • The actresses are reprising their roles as the two witch sisters nearly 30 years after the 1998 original.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Natalie Wood had already turned down the part, and the studio had looked at hundreds of other actresses before MacGraw came aboard.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of actresses
Noun
  • And in doing so, Gunther often lulls crowds into becoming sporting event spectators rather than the raucous participators that most other wrestlers try to draw out of them.
    — Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Definition of participators
Noun
  • The latest entry to cross the pond is unlikely to reap similar success despite the presence of Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield in leading roles and a supporting cast featuring some of England’s finest thespians.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Here’s why that’s unlikely to happen, and a ranking of the thespians most likely to land more than one Oscar nod.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of thespians
Noun
  • To be sure, the new law has had a chilling impact, especially on big players.
    — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Unlike Howe, who saw his best players being sold from his team and may have felt he was being deprived of the tools necessary to succeed, Jaissle never actually had Gordon, Tonali or Guimaraes to call upon.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of players

Browse Nearby Words

actorly
actors
act out
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Cite this Entry

“Actors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actors. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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