fourth wall
noun
: an imaginary wall (as at the opening of a modern stage proscenium) that keeps performers from recognizing or directly addressing their audience
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The actors play into the farce of it all, breaking the fourth wall and heightening the private, domestic lives of their characters with an overabundance of spectacle and performance. 
K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2022 Told over eight half-hour episodes that frequently break the fourth wall by addressing viewers, the miniseries tracks Tyson’s meteoric rise and wild, turbulent life outside the ring. Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2022 Plop its plot into present day, break the fourth wall or give the Bennet sisters swords to dispatch zombies (to varied critical reception). Scottie Andrew, CNN, 7 Aug. 2022 Before She-Hulk, recent MCU characters have gotten pretty close to breaking the fourth wall. Sydney Odman, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Aug. 2022 Breaking the fourth wall with a wink and a nod can be fun for an audience, a brief pressure-relief valve before getting back to the dramatic business at hand. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 18 Aug. 2022 Marvel describes the show as its first half-hour comedy, and She-Hulk's tendency to constantly break the fourth wall has been carried over from the comics, with the marketing teasing plenty of Fleabag-style, meta monologues to the camera. Brendan Morrow, The Week, 5 Aug. 2022 And Wade breaks the fourth wall often, addressing the audience directly. Chris Smith, BGR, 17 July 2022 The fool mediated the space between the play and the audience—that dimension where the virtual meets the real—moving fluidly between the stage and the crowd and occasionally breaking the fourth wall to comment on the play’s themes. Wired, 28 July 2022 See More
K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2022 Told over eight half-hour episodes that frequently break the fourth wall by addressing viewers, the miniseries tracks Tyson’s meteoric rise and wild, turbulent life outside the ring. Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2022 Plop its plot into present day, break the fourth wall or give the Bennet sisters swords to dispatch zombies (to varied critical reception). Scottie Andrew, CNN, 7 Aug. 2022 Before She-Hulk, recent MCU characters have gotten pretty close to breaking the fourth wall. Sydney Odman, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Aug. 2022 Breaking the fourth wall with a wink and a nod can be fun for an audience, a brief pressure-relief valve before getting back to the dramatic business at hand. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 18 Aug. 2022 Marvel describes the show as its first half-hour comedy, and She-Hulk's tendency to constantly break the fourth wall has been carried over from the comics, with the marketing teasing plenty of Fleabag-style, meta monologues to the camera. Brendan Morrow, The Week, 5 Aug. 2022 And Wade breaks the fourth wall often, addressing the audience directly. Chris Smith, BGR, 17 July 2022 The fool mediated the space between the play and the audience—that dimension where the virtual meets the real—moving fluidly between the stage and the crowd and occasionally breaking the fourth wall to comment on the play’s themes. Wired, 28 July 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1807, in the meaning defined above