theatre
11 synonyms and 0 antonyms for theatre, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A building or outdoor space where plays, musicals and other live performances are staged in front of an audience.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
A building or outdoor space where plays, musicals and other live performances are staged in front of an audience.
“The theatre seats nine hundred and has a revolving stage.”
2. noun
The art form and industry of writing, producing and performing plays, taken as a whole.
“She left television to work in the theatre.”
3. noun British
A room in a hospital equipped for surgical operations; an operating theatre.
“The patient was taken straight into theatre.”
How to Use Theatre
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Theatre is the standard British, Irish, Australian and Canadian spelling; theater is standard American, though many American venues and companies keep theatre in their own names.
Etymology
From Greek theatron 'a place for viewing', from theasthai 'to behold', via Latin theatrum and Old French theatre.
Full origin of theatre →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between theatre and theater?
They are the same word with two spellings. Theatre is standard in British, Irish, Australian and Canadian English; theater is standard in the United States. Many American arts organisations still spell their own names with -re for stylistic reasons.
What is the difference between a theatre and a cinema?
In British English, a theatre hosts live performances such as plays, operas and musicals, while a cinema shows films. In American English, theater covers both, so a film is watched at a movie theater and a play at a theater.
Why is an operating room called a theatre?
Early surgery was performed in tiered rooms where medical students watched from surrounding galleries, exactly like an audience at a play. The name stuck in British usage even after surgery moved behind closed doors.