theatre or (N American) theater /thēˈə-tər/

1. A structure, orig in the open air, for drama or other spectacles
2. A cinema (chiefly N American and Aust)
3. Any natural land formation backed by a curving hillside or rising by steps like seats of a theatre
4. A building or room, usu with tiered seats, which is adapted for lectures, anatomical or surgical demonstrations, etc
5. An operating theatre
6. A scene of action, field of operations
7. (with the) the social unit comprising actors, theatre companies, producers, etc, or its characteristic environment and conditions
8. An audience, house
9. (with the) plays or a specified group of plays, collectively
10. The writing and production of plays
11. Material or method judged by its suitability for a dramatic presentation

theˈatral adjective

theatˈrical (or rare theatˈric) adjective

1. Relating or suitable to, or savouring of, the stage, actors or acting
2. Stagy
3. Histrionic, melodramatic, exaggerated
4. Aiming at or producing dramatic effects
5. Of, in or for the cinema (esp N American)

theatˈricalism or theatricalˈity noun

Staginess, artificiality

theatricalīzāˈtion or theatricalīsāˈtion noun

theatˈricalize or theatˈricalise transitive verb

1. To adapt to dramatic representation
2. To make stagy

1. To act
2. To attend the theatre

theatˈrically adverb

theatˈricalness noun

theatˈricals plural noun

1. Dramatic performances
2. Theatrical affairs, properties or people

theatˈricism noun

Theatricality, affectation, staginess

theatˈricize or theatˈricise /-sīz/ intransitive verb

To play a part

theatˈrics singular noun

1. The staging of plays, etc, or the art of doing this
2. Histrionics

theatromāˈnia noun

A craze for play-going

theatˈrophone noun (historical)

A telephone connecting callers to a theatre so they can listen to a live performance there

theˈatre-goer noun

A person who regularly goes to the theatre

theatre-in-the-roundˈ noun (pl theatres-in-the-roundˈ)

1. A theatre with a central stage and the audience on all sides
2. The style of staging plays in such a theatre

theatre of cruelty noun

A branch of drama, based on the theories of Antonin Artaud (1896–1948), intended to induce in the audience a feeling of suffering and an awareness of the presence of evil

theatre of fact noun

A branch of drama using material closely based on real happenings

theatre of the absurd noun

A branch of drama dealing with fantastic deliberately unreal situations, in reaction against the tragedy and irrationality of life

• onrushes
• ons
• ONS
• on schedule
• on-screen
• on second thoughts
• onset
• onsets
• onsetter
• onsetters
• onsetting
• onsettings
• on shaky ground
• on shipboard
• on shore
• on-shore
• onshore
• onside
• onsides
• on sight
• on-site
• onslaught
• onslaughts
• on sleep
• on someone's account