noun

theatre

THEE-uh-ter

Theatre (noun) means a building or outdoor space where plays, musicals and other live performances are staged in front of an audience. Example: “The theatre seats nine hundred and has a revolving stage.”

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."

"We queued outside the theatre for returns."

The art form and industry of writing, producing and performing plays, taken as a whole.

"She left television to work in the theatre."

"He has written about Jacobean theatre for thirty years."

British A room in a hospital equipped for surgical operations; an operating theatre.

"The patient was taken straight into theatre."

A large area in which important, usually military, events take place.

"Troops were deployed to the Pacific theatre."

"The dispute has become a theatre of proxy conflict."

How to Use Theatre

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA place where plays are performed, or the art of putting on plays.

When to use it

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.

Memory tip

In British English a theatre stages live performances and a cinema shows films; American English calls both a movie theater and a theater.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

theater → cinema → auditorium →

Common pairings

go to the theatre musical theatre theatre company operating theatre

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The _____ seats nine hundred and has a revolving stage.

Etymology

From Greek theatron 'a place for viewing', from theasthai 'to behold', via Latin theatrum and Old French theatre.

Origin: Greek

Synonyms

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playhouse auditorium venue drama the stage dramatic arts operating theatre OR arena sphere field

Related Words

not or place play area site field industry

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.

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