theater

A1 Topic:Art & Music

Also spelled theatre

US /ˈθi(ə)tɚ/ UK /ˈθiː.ə.tə/
noun Freq #2638

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    A building where plays or films are shown.

    We sat in the back row of the theater and watched the show.

  2. 2
    noun

    The activity or art of writing and performing plays.

    I worked in theater for twenty-five years.

  3. 3
    noun

    An area where a war or military action takes place.

    His grandfather served in the Pacific theater during the war.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a building where plays or... house
2 noun · the activity or art of... dramatics
3 noun · an area where a war or... field
Word family
Forms theaters
Derived forms theater-in-the-roundtheaterettetheatergoertheatergoingtheaterlandtheaterlesstheatermakertheaterwidetheatraltheatremakertheatrictheatrical
Related forms amphitheater

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English theater, theatre, from Old French theatre, from Latin theātrum, from Ancient Greek θέᾱτρον (théātron, “a place for viewing”), from θεᾰ́ομαι (theắomai, “to see", "to watch", "to observe”). Doublet of tiatr.

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Topics

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