theater

noun

THEE-uh-tur/ˈθi(ə)tɚ/THEE-uh-tuh/ˈθiː.ə.tə/

UK spellingtheatre

8 meanings of theater

1
building for playsnouncountable
A building with a stage and rows of seats where people gather to watch plays, concerts, and shows.
Like a big indoor room built so a whole crowd can all see the same stage.
We watched a musical at the new theater on Main Street.
The town built two theaters near the park.
Similarplayhouse
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2
dramanouncountable or uncountable
The art and profession of acting and putting on plays.
Like painting or music, but the art is acting out stories on a stage.
She has loved theater ever since her first school play.
He left a steady job to study theater in college.
Similardrama, stage
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3
moviesnouncountable or uncountable
A building where people go to watch movies on a big screen.
Like watching a movie at home, but on a huge screen with lots of other people.
Let's go to the theater and see the new cartoon.
The theater near our house shows movies every night.
Similarcinema
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4
war zonenouncountable or uncountable
A large area where a war or other major action is taking place.
Like the whole playing field where a game happens, not just one corner of it.
The general moved more troops into the eastern theater.
The Pacific was a major theater during the war.
Similararena, zone, front
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5
for shownounderogatoryfigurativelycountable or uncountable
Actions done just to look impressive, without really doing anything useful.
Like a worker who only looks busy when the boss is watching.
The new rules are just theater and won't make anyone safer.
Their big meeting was pure theater, with no real decisions made.
Similarposturing, show, charade, pretense, display
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6
operating roomnouncountable or uncountable
A room in a hospital where doctors perform operations.
Like a kitchen built only for cooking, but this room is built only for surgery.
The surgeon scrubbed in before entering the theater.
Nurses prepared the theater for the morning's first operation.
Note
7
lecture hallnouncountable or uncountable
A large room with seats rising in rows, used for lectures.
Like a small indoor stadium, but for listening to a teacher instead of watching a game.
The professor spoke to two hundred students in the main theater.
We hurried to the theater for the morning class.
Similarauditorium, hall
8
stepped slopenouncountable or uncountable
A space where the ground or seating rises in steps, one row above the next.
Like the steps of a stadium, where each row sits higher than the one in front.
The hillside formed a natural theater above the valley.
Rows of vineyards climbed the slope like a green theater.
Similaramphitheater, bowl

Practice

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Origin

It comes from a Greek word meaning "a place for viewing," from a verb meaning "to see or watch." It reached English through Latin and Old French.