actor
actor — noun
1. a person whose job is to play characters in films, plays, or television shows by
a person whose job is to play characters in films, plays, or television shows by speaking their lines and copying how they would behave.
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]
Several famous actors arrived at the cinema for the opening of the new film.
Noa hired three actors to perform a short comedy at his daughter's birthday party.
Most actors spend years studying voice and movement before getting big roles.
文法句型
actor in [film/play]
actor playing [role]
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
2. a person, country, or organization whose actions help shape how a political, soc
a person, country, or organization whose actions help shape how a political, social, or business situation develops.
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
The mayor described local farmers as key actors in the city's plan to cut waste.
Banks were not the only actors responsible for the financial crisis of 2008.
Small charities can be powerful actors when bigger organizations refuse to step in.
- 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
- bystander
someone who watches without taking part
文法句型
key actor in [situation]
actor on the [scene/stage]
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
3. someone who behaves in a fake way to hide what they really feel or think, so tha
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.
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
My grandmother was a real actor; nobody ever guessed how much pain she was hiding.
Politicians have to be good actors, smiling for cameras even on terrible days.
文法句型
a good/terrible actor
such an actor
用法筆記
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).