leading man

noun

: an actor who plays the leading male role

Examples of leading man in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Nicely shot by cinematographer Jackson Hunt with a constantly moving camera, Bunny has a talented leading man in Stark, whose hapless expressions and preoccupation with staying alive and skirting the law keep us royally entertained along with the rest of this rag-tag ensemble. Pete Hammond, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025 Dolly Parton is delivering a melodic sendoff for her late husband Carl Dean. Dean, who died Monday at 82, was Parton's longtime leading man, supporting her quietly behind the scenes for six decades. Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025 Will everyone's favorite leading man — and three-time nominee — Timothée Chalamet take home his first Oscar? Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025 Attentive viewers will notice that from his first appearance, Hezekiah, our beautiful leading man, always wears a strip of leather at the nape of his neck with a circular pendant that hangs from exactly center front. Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for leading man

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of leading man was in 1827

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Cite this Entry

“Leading man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leading%20man. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

leading man

noun
: an actor who plays the leading male role in a play or movie

More from Merriam-Webster on leading man

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