leading man

noun

Synonyms of leading mannext
: an actor who plays the leading male role

Examples of leading man in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Now, the rights are all cleaned up to move forward with Helgeland, whose vehicles with strong leading men also include Man on Fire, 42 and Legend. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2026 One of comedy’s best leading men returns to cinemas with … an action thriller? David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026 At this point, all the optimism in the world can’t project Jaquez, Ware, Larsson or Jakucionis as leading men. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026 Max Clayton also makes a strong impression as Danny Bailey, a swaggering leading man modeled after Carousel’s Billy Bigelow and portrayed on the series by Aaron Tveit. Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026 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 1 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

leading man

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

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