fourth wall

[ fawrth wawl ]

noun

1. the imaginary, invisible wall, as across the front of a stage, that separates the world constructed by a play, movie, television show, video game, or literary work from the actual world inhabited by the audience.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fourth wall¹

First recorded in 1800–10

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. break the fourth wall, to violate the conventional separation between the world of a play, movie, television show, video game, or literary work and the world inhabited by the viewer:

   The actor’s periodic asides to the audience break the fourth wall and elicit much-needed laughs.