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• Colosseum
  Colosseum

  noun

  an ancient amphitheater in Rome, begun a.d. c70 by Vespasian, having the form of an oval 617 by 512 feet (188 by 156 meters).
• colosseum
  colosseum

  noun

  a variant spelling of coliseum

Colosseum

American  

[kol-uh-see-uhm] / ˌkɒl əˈsi əm /

noun

1. an ancient amphitheater in Rome, begun a.d. c70 by Vespasian, having the form of an oval 617 by 512 feet (188 by 156 meters).

2. (lowercase) coliseum.

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colosseum ¹ British  

/ ˌkɒləˈsɪəm /

noun

1. a variant spelling of coliseum

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Colosseum ² British  

/ ˌkɒləˈsɪəm /

noun

1. an amphitheatre in Rome built about 75–80 _ad

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Colosseum Cultural  

1. A great arena of ancient Rome, which seated fifty thousand. It is in ruins today, but its former glory can still be imagined.

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According to tradition, persecuted Christians (see also Christian) were fed to lions in the Colosseum for the entertainment of the Romans. (See also bread and circuses.)

Some of the contests staged in the Colosseum were between gladiators, who fought with swords; some were between people and animals. The arena could even be flooded for mock sea battles.

Etymology

Origin of Colosseum

< Latin, noun use of neuter of colossēus gigantic < Greek kolossiaîos, equivalent to koloss ( ós ) colossus + -iaios adj. suffix

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Colosseum colosseum

The Colosseum, the largest amphitheatre in the world, was built in the first century and was used to host events like animal hunts and gladiatorial games.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

In his role as director of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, Quilici says he is in talks with archaeologists to introduce more shade-providing vegetation.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

To navigate the crowds, Buzzanca arranges early morning or late afternoon tours of the Vatican or Colosseum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Army versus Navy at the Roman Colosseum would be a fitting site for these historic rivals, particularly if the game took place in AD 80.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Finally they reached the Colosseum, where a dozen guys in cheap gladiator costumes were scuffling with the police—plastic swords versus batons.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

The media built him up, and as we saw in the Roman colosseum, the thumbs-up can quickly turn to thumbs-down.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2024

In the late fourth century, philosopher St Augustine wrote of how he visited the colosseum with Alypius of Thagaste, a friend who was morally opposed to the violence of the Roman arena.

From BBC ● May 8, 2024

A plaster cast of each player's torso greets them as they enter the massive stage where they initially gather, rendering them awestruck at the sight of this cross between a colosseum and a museum.

From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2023

“It’s really going to be something to see him run at the Stadio Olimpico with a tattoo of the colosseum on his arm.”

From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2022

The colosseum was packed to its rounded walls.

From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks