theater

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theater

/ˈθi(ə)tɚ/ US
/ˈθɪə.tɚ/ US, sometimes
/ˈθi(ə)tɚ/ Canada, Southern US
/ˈθi.eɪ.tɚ/ Canada, Southern US
/ˈθiː.ə.tə/ UK
/ˈθɪə.tə/ UK
/θiˈɛt.ə/ UK, dated
/θiˈeɪ.tə/ UK, obsolete
/ˈθiətə/ New Zealand
[ˈθiə̯tɜ] New Zealand
[ˈθiə̯ɾɜ] New Zealand

Rhymes with (US, Canada, Southern American English) -iːtə(ɹ), -iːətə(ɹ), (UK, somewhat dated) -ɛtə, (South Asia) -eɪtə

Where it comes from

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.

noun theaters · theatre

US, countable A place or building, consisting of a stage and seating, in which an audience gathers to watch plays, musical performances, public ceremonies, and so on.
Similar: playhouse
US, countable, uncountable A region where a particular action takes place; a specific field of action, usually with reference to war. His grandfather was in the Pacific theater during the war.
US, countable, uncountable A lecture theatre.
US, countable, uncountable An operating theatre or locale for human experimentation. This man is about to die, get him into theater at once!
US, countable, uncountable A cinema. We sat in the back row of the theater and threw popcorn at the screen.
US, countable, uncountable Drama or performance as a profession or art form. I worked in theater for twenty-five years.
Similar: fabulous invalid
US, countable, uncountable Any place rising by steps like the seats of a theater.
US, countable, derogatory, figuratively, uncountable A conspicuous but unproductive display of action. The Senate confirmation hearings were just theater.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: theatre, dramaturgy, dramatics, house, dramatic art, amphitheatre, playhouse, troupe, entertainment, venue, theatrical, playwright, play-acting, cabaret, drama, cinema

Translations

Every language

noun place or building

Español	teatro
한국어	극장 geukjang
日本語	劇場 gekijō, シアター shiatā
中文	劇場 /剧场 jùchǎng, 劇院 /剧院 jùyuàn
हिन्दी	थिएटर thieṭar, रंगमंच raṅgmañc, प्रेक्षागृह prekṣāgŕh
Kiswahili	ukumbi, thiata
Português	teatro
Français	théâtre
Deutsch	Theater, Schauspielhaus, Theatergebäude, Theaterhaus
Italiano	teatro
Ελληνικά	θέατρο théatro
Română	teatru
Русский	теа́тр teátr
Tiếng Việt	nhà hát, rạp hát
العربية	مَسْرَح masraḥ
עברית	תֵּאַטְרוֹן teatrón

noun region

Español	zona
한국어	전구 jeon'gu, 전역 jeonyeok
日本語	戦域 sen'iki
中文	戰區 /战区 zhànqū

noun lecture theatre

Ελληνικά	αμφιθέατρο amfithéatro
Română	amfiteatru

noun drama or performance as a profession or artform

Español	teatro
हिन्दी	रंगमंच raṅgmañc
Português	teatro
Français	théâtre
Română	teatru
Русский	теа́тр teátr
العربية	مَسْرَح masraḥ

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Cite this

MLA

"theater." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/theater. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

theater. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/theater

Chicago

"theater." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/theater.

BibTeX

@misc{theater_2026,
  title = {theater},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/theater},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}