Noun the oldest theater in the city the theater district in New York City The film is now showing in theaters. We enjoyed a weekend of music, dance, and theater. He was very fond of the theater and had purchased tickets for several performances. Her interests include theater and poetry. the theater of 16th-century England She majored in theater in college. a course in American theater His monologues made for good theater. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Royal Shakespeare Company screened the funeral at its theater at Stratford-upon-Avon in central England. William Booth, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2022 Santikos Entertainment is refashioning its Silverado theater to include auditoriums alongside bowling lanes, more arcade games and concessions. Madison Iszler, San Antonio Express-News, 8 Sep. 2022 Ushers at Venice had to scurry about trying to get audience members to leave the theater so the next film premiere could start. Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2022 To find out more about National Cinema Day and which theaters are participating, check your local theater's official website or go to www.nationalcinemaday.org. Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 31 Aug. 2022 According to production company Trimuse Entertainment, Zombie Town follows Mike, a projectionist at his local movie theater in Carverville. Nick Romano, EW.com, 29 Aug. 2022 In addition, its spacious theater had long been the primary venue for concerts, plays and public ceremonies. Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 29 Aug. 2022 Peters has continued to do theater, including starring in the 2017 Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly! Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 24 Aug. 2022 But some of those theaters were kept around because the theater itself is beautiful. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Aug. 2022
Adjective
Their hours of operation start at the pre-theater time of 5 p.m. and end at 2 a.m. Elise Taylor, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2022 Here are some trusty pre- and post-theater haunts to consider, ranging from most convenient to slightly less convenient, but still worthy. Megha Mcswain, Chron, 24 Aug. 2022 The best place for a pre-or post-theater meal and why. Shivani Vora, Forbes, 19 July 2022 Tell me the best place for a pre-or post-theater meal and why. Shivani Vora, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2022 Loop is The Dearborn restaurant an upscale, yet family-friendly spot for pre-theater dinner. Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2021 If anything, these non-theater offshoots confirm the draw of immersion. Manuel Mendoza, Dallas News, 27 Aug. 2021 The proceedings kicked off with a greeting from the designer live from Times Square this morning, followed by pre-recorded trip to Sardi’s, Kors’ favorite pre-theater restaurant, where caricatures of movie stars line the walls. Alison S. Cohn, Harper's BAZAAR, 20 Apr. 2021 Marcel’s popular pre-theater menu has been suspended, however, at least until the Kennedy Center reopens.Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2020 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English teatre, theatre, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French thueatre, teatre, borrowed from Latin theātrum "place for viewing dramatic performances," borrowed from Greek théātron, from theā́omai, theâsthai "to gaze at, view, watch, contemplate" (derivative of théā "act of seeing, sight, spectacle, performance," of uncertain origin) + -tron, suffix of instruments
Note: Doric thāéomai and the Syracusan form thāā have led to the assumption of an original *thāwā. Presumably related would be thaûma "wonder, astonishment, object of wonder or admiration, marvel" (see thaumaturge). If táphos "amazement" and synonymous thámbos are related, the alternation [w] / labial stop / -mb- (prenasalized stop?) suggests substratal origin (see R. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2009), though the perfect téthēpa "(I) am astonished" reflects complete assimilation into Greek morphology.