theater: Meaning and Definition of

the•a•ter

Pronunciation: (thē'u-tur, thē'-), [key]
— n.
  1. a building, part of a building, or outdoor area for housing dramatic presentations, stage entertainments, or motion-picture shows.
  2. the audience at a theatrical or motion-picture performance: The theater wept.
  3. a theatrical or acting company.
  4. a room or hall, fitted with tiers of seats rising like steps, used for lectures, surgical demonstrations, etc.: Students crowded into the operating theater.
  5. dramatic performances as a branch of art; the drama: an actress devoted to the theater.
  6. dramatic works collectively, as of literature, a nation, or an author (often prec. by the): the theater of Ibsen.
  7. the quality or effectiveness of dramatic performance: good theater; bad theater; pure theater.
  8. a place of action; field of operations.
  9. a natural formation of land rising by steps or gradations.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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