leading lady

noun

: an actress who plays the leading female role

Examples of leading lady in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The album features the talents of leading lady Audra McDonald as Mama Rose, Joy Woods as Louise, Danny Burstein as Herbie, and Jordan Tyson as June, among many others. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025 In early 2012 several industry sources told Deadline that Disney was targeting a summer production start date and was in the process of finding an all-star cast of international martial arts sensations to play the team of warriors tasked with protecting the leading lady. Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025 Any leading lady could wear that this year and still look entirely chic. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2025 And Aniston is a veteran in the rom-com space herself, playing the leading lady in films like Along Came Polly (2004), Just Go with It (2011) and more. Jen Juneau, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for leading lady

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of leading lady was in 1860

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

leading lady

noun
: an actress who plays the leading female role in a play or movie

More from Merriam-Webster on leading lady

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!