entr'acte
Americannoun
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entr'actes
plural
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the interval between two consecutive acts of a theatrical or operatic performance.
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a performance, as of music or dancing, given during such an interval.
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a piece of music or the like for such performance.
noun
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an interval between two acts of a play or opera
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(esp formerly) an entertainment during an interval, such as dancing between acts of an opera
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of entr'acte
First recorded in 1740–50; from French, equivalent to entre “between” (from Latin inter ) + acte “one of the main divisions of a play or opera”; see act
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 first opera CD he bought was a 1977 recording of duets by Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland, and he was struck by how cinematic the overture and entr’acte were.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2023
The Hateful Eight’s roadshow featured an overture of Ennio Morricone’s lush score and an entr’acte after the intermission.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 27, 2019
Just as it mattered to Soderbergh when he made the nearly five-hour biopic “Che,” which he exhibited roadshow-style, complete with old-fashioned overture and entr’acte.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 7, 2019
Preshow and entr’acte piano-playing of period tunes like “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” whose misty-eyed lyrics are found inside the program, allow audience members to sing along.
From New York Times ● May 13, 2013
The first entr'acte is called "A Maske-dance," interrupted at intervals by Henry's love-song to Anne Boleyn.
From Shakespeare and Music by Christopher Wilson
That includes two songs for Egmont’s love, Klärchen, four entr’actes, a melodrama for Egmont as he approaches his execution and, powerfully as only Beethoven can, a battle cry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
There are a couple of entr’actes in which the clown, teased by his former supervisor, inclines toward the Grinchy.
From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2024
His position-paper entr’actes can be awkward and artless, much like the author himself.
From New York Times ● Nov. 13, 2017
Noh is essentially the inspiration for the two-person entr’actes, called knee plays, in “Einstein on the Beach.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2016
The entr'actes, ballets, and character passages make delightful episodes, being full of charm and grace, and very picturesque in colouring.
From Shakespeare and Music by Christopher Wilson
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.
