movie theater

American

[moo-vee thee-uh-ter] / ˈmu vi ˌθi ə tər /

noun

a building or part of a building having seating for an audience and a large screen for showing movies.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

movie theaters

plural

Etymology

Origin of movie theater

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

More than any other director, Spielberg understands the innate power of the movie theater as a town hall — an environment where ideas can be communicated, conversations can be had, and change can begin.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026

When depictions of manhood contend with the real-life environment outside the movie theater, they can help us put words to the immaterial feelings we don’t always have the time or energy to parse ourselves.

From Salon • May 27, 2026

There is also a sizable home movie theater that, in a not-so-subtle nod to the property’s celebrity owner, was photographed with a video of Gomez performing flashed up on the screen.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

The new company "will have every incentive to get more films into wider distribution on more movie theater screens -- it is how it will compete for audiences across the entertainment ecosystem."

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

Then she got dressed, went to the movie theater, and in the darkness of the seats she recognized her daughter.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023