theater

or the·a·tre

[ thee-uh-ter, theeuh- ]

noun

1. a building, part of a building, or outdoor area for housing dramatic performances or stage entertainments, or for showing movies.
2. the audience at a theatrical performance or movie:

   The whole theater was weeping.

3. a theatrical or acting company.
4. a room or hall, fitted with tiers of seats rising like steps, used for lectures, surgical demonstrations, etc.:

   Students crowded into the operating theater.

5. the theater, dramatic performances as a branch of art; the field or discipline of staged drama:

   an actress devoted to the theater.

6. Often the theater. dramatic works collectively, as of literature, a nation, or an author:

   the theater of Ibsen.

7. the quality or effectiveness of dramatic performance: bad theater;

   good theater;

   bad theater;

   pure theater.

8. a place of dramatic action, especially during a war: theater of war.

   the Pacific theater during World War II.

   Synonyms: stage, site, arena

9. a public display of action or speech that gives a false impression of accomplishing or promising something, merely for the sake of appearances (often used in combination): Public health experts have said that the time and money spent on cleaning may be unnecessary hygiene theater. Forget all his blustering about doing what's best for our city—it's just theater to please his union masters and protect his political base.

   Washington D.C.'s Metro transit system has instituted random bag searches, and many travelers are just as unhappy about the security theater on the train as in the airport.

   Public health experts have said that the time and money spent on cleaning may be unnecessary hygiene theater.

   Companies need to go beyond diversity theater and commit to long-term, concrete metrics for change.

   Forget all his blustering about doing what's best for our city—it's just theater to please his union masters and protect his political base.

10. a natural formation of land rising by steps or gradations.

Pronunciation Note

Theater, an early Middle English borrowing from French, originally had its primary stress on the second syllable: [tey-, ah, -t, r, uh]. As with many early French borrowings ( beauty, carriage, marriage ), the stress moved to the first syllable, in conformity with a common English pattern of stress, and this pattern remains the standard one for theater today: [thee, -, uh, -ter]. A pronunciation with stress on the second syllable and the vowel [ey], as [thee-, ey, -ter] or sometimes [thee, -ey-ter] is characteristic chiefly of a nonstandard regional pronunciation in the United States that may be perceived as uneducated.

Other Words From

• non·the·a·ter adjective
• pre·the·a·ter adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of theater¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English theatre, from Latin theātrum, from Greek théātron “seeing place, theater,” equivalent to theā-, stem of theâsthai “to view” + -tron suffix denoting means or place

Example Sentences

You can rent Bill & Ted Face the Music from FandangoNow, buy it from several different services, or see in your local theater, if you wish.

From Vox

For the first time since pandemic lockdowns began in the US in March, a handful of films are coming out in theaters — but not digitally at the same time.

From Vox

Even in states that are allowing movie theaters to reopen, though, not all of them will be welcoming guests back this weekend.

From Fortune

On May 19, around two months into the pandemic, he stepped out of the operating theater and reached for his mobile phone, only to realize that he couldn’t load his emails.

From MIT Technology Review

On the highway, the darkness is as complete as that in the theater.

From MIT Technology Review

His surprise marriage to theater director Sophie Hunter may have broken hearts, but the squeals of delight were even louder.

From The Daily Beast

Her mother had a musical theater background, so Malone grew up backstage, watching productions come to fruition.

From The Daily Beast

Now hackers are threatening to bomb any theater that shows it.

From The Daily Beast

Regal Entertainment Group is the biggest and most geographically diverse theater company in the country.

From The Daily Beast

The theater manager called security, and three moonlighting off-duty police deputies arrived.

From The Daily Beast

By 1740, he was far enough removed from the theater to have a slightly different perspective on language.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus, twenty-nine years later, this theater was donated to Williamsburg to be used as a town hall.

From Project Gutenberg

Although many British actors and musicians were participants in this theater, it often suffered from financial stress.

From Project Gutenberg

The doors of this theater had been constructed in such a way that they only opened inwardly.

From Project Gutenberg

The leading actors and actresses of the country played at the Richmond Theater with pride.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• amphitheater
• arena
• auditorium
• cinema
• concert hall
• drama
• hall
• house
• movie
• movie house
• opera house
• playhouse
• room
• scene
• site
• theatre