Broadway

The word “Broadway” means the famous street running through Manhattan, especially associated with its theater district. In plain terms, usually refers to the famous New York street and theater district, or American professional theater in general.

“Broadway” is pronounced BRAWD-way (/ˈbɹɔdweɪ/ in IPA).

Here is “Broadway” used in a sentence: “They saw a musical on Broadway during their trip to New York.”

“Broadway” is a name.

“Broadway” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Broadway” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the famous street running through Manhattan, especially associated with its theater district.

A show counts as "Broadway" when it plays in one of the large designated Broadway theaters in Manhattan's Theater District, traditionally those with 500 or more seats. Off-Broadway refers to smaller professional New York venues, so the distinction is mainly about theater size and designation rather than the quality of the production.

Both, depending on context. Broadway is a famous street running through Manhattan, and by extension the name also refers to the theater district associated with it and to the American theater industry centered there — so a "Broadway show" is one staged in that district, not necessarily on the street itself.

"The Great White Way" is a long-standing nickname for the stretch of Broadway running through the Theater District. It refers to the dazzling white glow of the electric lights and illuminated signs that made the street famous in the early era of electric advertising.

No. Broadway refers specifically to productions staged in the Broadway theaters of Manhattan and to the industry centered there. Musicals staged elsewhere — on tour, in London's West End, or in regional theaters — are not Broadway shows, and Broadway itself stages plays as well as musicals.