fourth wall

[ fawrth wawl ]

noun

1. the imaginary, invisible wall, as across the front of a stage, that separates the world constructed by a play, movie, television show, video game, or literary work from the actual world inhabited by the audience.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fourth wall¹

First recorded in 1800–10

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. break the fourth wall, to violate the conventional separation between the world of a play, movie, television show, video game, or literary work and the world inhabited by the viewer:

   The actor’s periodic asides to the audience break the fourth wall and elicit much-needed laughs.

Example Sentences

It breaks the movie out of the conceit of it actually being a live show, and suddenly you shatter the fourth wall.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s the interviews where they’re just brutally honest, they break the fourth wall, they tell me the truth.

From Los Angeles Times

Ezra Reaves, Moscato Sky and Amber St. James play stagehands who, through some clumsy shattering of the fourth wall, seize their opportunities to strut their drag stuff.

From Los Angeles Times

At one point, co-star Dan Stevens breaks the fourth wall, looking directly into the lens, talking to a character on the other side of a surveillance camera, but essentially speaking to us, the audience, reminding us how wonderful it is that we’ve been able to witness the terrifying events that have unfolded.

From Los Angeles Times

Obviously, Deadpool has no place in Westeros and no one wants to see Ulf or the sly Larys breaking the fourth wall to make a butt joke.

From Los Angeles Times