Adjacent Words

Theater definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

THE'ATER
THE'ATINS, n. An order of regular priests in Naples, who have no property, nor do they beg, but wait for what providence sends them. They have their name from the chief of the order.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented; "the house was full" [syn: theater, theatre, house]
2: the art of writing and producing plays [syn: dramaturgy, dramatic art, dramatics, theater, theatre]
3: a region in which active military operations are in progress; "the army was in the field awaiting action"; "he served in the Vietnam theater for three years" [syn: field, field of operations, theater, theater of operations, theatre, theatre of operations]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun or theatre Etymology: Middle English theatre, from Middle French, from Latin theatrum, from Greek theatron, from theasthai to view, from thea act of seeing; akin to Greek thauma miracle Date: 14th century 1. a. an outdoor structure for dramatic performances or spectacles in ancient Greece and Rome b. a building or area for dramatic performances c. a building or area for showing motion pictures 2. a place or sphere of enactment of usually significant events or action <the theater of public life> 3. a. a place rising by steps or gradations <a woody theater of stateliest view — John Milton> b. a room often with rising tiers of seats for assemblies (as for lectures or surgical demonstrations) 4. a. dramatic literature ; plays b. dramatic representation as an art or profession ; drama 5. a. dramatic or theatrical quality or effectiveness b. spectacle 1a c. entertainment in the form of a dramatic or diverting situation or series of events <t public feud made for good theater> 6. theater of operations II. adjective Date: 1977 of, relating to, or appropriate for use in a theater of operations <theater nuclear weapons>

U.S. Military Dictionary

The geographical area for which a commander of a geographic combatant command has been assigned responsibility. (JP 1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Theater The"a*ter, Theatre The"a*tre, n. [F. th['e][^a]tre, L. theatrum, Gr. ?, fr. ? to see, view; cf. Skr. dhy[=a] to meditate, think. Cf. Theory.] 1. An edifice in which dramatic performances or spectacles are exhibited for the amusement of spectators; anciently uncovered, except the stage, but in modern times roofed. 2. Any room adapted to the exhibition of any performances before an assembly, as public lectures, scholastic exercises, anatomical demonstrations, surgical operations, etc. 3. That which resembles a theater in form, use, or the like; a place rising by steps or gradations, like the seats of a theater. --Burns. Shade above shade, a woody theater Of stateliest view. --Milton. 4. A sphere or scheme of operation. [Obs.] For if a man can be partaker of God's theater, he shall likewise be partaker of God's rest. --Bacon. 5. A place or region where great events are enacted; as, the theater of war.

Moby Thesaurus

Broadway, DMZ, Elizabethan theater, Globe Theatre, Greek theater, aceldama, agora, amphitheater, amusement park, arena, arena theater, assembly hall, athletic field, audience, auditorium, auditory, back, backdrop, background, ballroom, battle line, battle site, battlefield, battleground, bear garden, boards, bowl, boxing ring, bull ring, burlesque, cabaret, cafe chantant, cafe dansant, campus, canvas, carnival, casino, chapel, cincture, circle theater, circus, classroom, close, club, cockpit, coliseum, colosseum, combat area, combat zone, concert hall, confine, congregation, container, convention hall, coop, course, court, courtyard, curtilage, dance floor, dance hall, dancing pavilion, delimited field, distance, drama, enclave, enclosure, enemy line, entertainment industry, exhibition hall, field, field of battle, field of blood, firing line, floor, fold, footlights, forum, front line, fun-fair, gallery, ground, groundling, gym, gymnasium, hall, hinterland, hippodrome, house, juke joint, killing ground, landing beach, lecture hall, lecture room, legit, legitimate stage, line, line of battle, list, lists, little theater, locale, marketplace, mat, meetinghouse, milieu, mise-en-scene, music hall, night spot, nightclub, nitery, off Broadway, off-off-Broadway, open forum, opera, opera house, orchestra, outdoor theater, palaestra, pale, paling, parade ground, park, pen, pit, place, platform, playhouse, playland, precinct, prize ring, public square, purlieu, quad, quadrangle, range, rear, recitation room, repertory drama, resort, ring, roadhouse, scene, scene of action, scenery, schoolroom, seat of war, setting, shambles, show biz, show business, showboat, site, spectator, sphere, square, squared circle, stadium, stage, stage set, stage setting, stage world, stagedom, stageland, stock, strawhat, strawhat circuit, summer stock, tavern, terrain, the boards, the footlights, the front, the scenes, the stage, the theater, theater of operations, theater of war, theater world, theater-in-the-round, theatromania, theatron, theatrophobia, tilting ground, tiltyard, toft, variety, vaudeville, walk, wrestling ring, yard, zone of communications