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
American
[kol-uh-see-uhm]
/ ˌkɒl əˈsi əm /
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).
-
(lowercase) coliseum.
colosseum
1
British
/ ˌkɒləˈsɪəm /
noun
Colosseum
2
British
/ ˌkɒləˈsɪəm /
noun
Colosseum
Cultural
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"The idea of doubling the night tours and doing them also on Fridays and Saturdays was mainly to give access to visitors that prefer cooler hours," said Simone Quilici, director of the Colosseum complex.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The Colosseum is not prescriptive about when people should visit, instead directing visitors to guidance from the regional authorities.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 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
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
On the opposite page is the Colosseum in Rome, labeled in English, and below, a conjugation: sum es est, su- mus estis sunt.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
Yet there was a strong feeling of the unknown when I made the ring walk for my bare knuckle debut in a bullfighting arena in Marbella which looked like a mini colosseum.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2024
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
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
The celebrations went on all night in Rome as fans lit flares in front of the colosseum and buzzed and honked their way through historic piazzas on their scooters.
From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2022
The colosseum was packed to its rounded walls.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
