Hanks

American

[hangks] / hæŋks /

noun

Tom, born 1956, U.S. film actor.

Hanks British

/ hæŋks /

noun

Tom. born 1956, US film actor: his films include Splash (1984), Philadelphia (1993), Forrest Gump (1994), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and The Terminal (2004)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Grace dubs his new friend “Rocky,” and their trans-galactically nutty friendship is one of the most endearing relationships between man and thing since Tom Hanks met Wilson the volleyball in “Cast Away.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

That’s what Tom Hanks, playing astronaut Jim Lovell, says in the movie Apollo 13.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

“The ‘Burbs” reimagines the 1989 Joe Dante movie starring Tom Hanks for a modern era.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2026

So they'll be hoping this fifth instalment of its most successful series, and the return of Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz can help restore things.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025

Hanks of fur come away in her claws.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023