nickelodeon
Americannoun
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an early movie theater where a film or a variety show could be seen, usually for the admission price of a nickel.
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an early jukebox that was operated by inserting nickels.
noun
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an early form of jukebox
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(formerly) a cinema charging five cents for admission
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(formerly) a Pianola, esp one operated by inserting a five-cent piece
Etymology
Origin of nickelodeon
An Americanism first recorded in 1885–90; nickel (in the sense of “coin”) + (mel)odeon
Explanation
A nickelodeon is an old fashioned coin-operated machine that plays music. You can also call a nickelodeon a "jukebox." In the US, it's common to refer to an old-timey jukebox or player piano (or any music machine that operates with a coin or token) as a nickelodeon, although the original meaning was a movie theater or cinema that cost five cents. The movie theater definition dates from the late 1800s, from the Greek oideion, "building for performances," and the jukebox meaning was first used in the 1930s.
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.
Paramount’s presentations to advertisers, part of the annual series of “upfront” events, comes at a pivotal time for the company that also owns CBS, Nickelodeon and MTV.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
On top of its array of cable networks, including Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, Paramount is the owner of streaming platform Paramount+.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
Paramount’s assets, including MTV, Nickelodeon and the Melrose Avenue movie studio, have been fading.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026
The deal puts a constellation of media properties — from CNN to Nickelodeon to HBO — under the control of the family led by Oracle tycoon and White House ally Larry Ellison.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
“I’d noticed that some segments on Sesame Street elicited a lot of interaction from kids, where the segments asked for it,” says Daniel Anderson, who worked with Nickelodeon in designing Blue’s Clues.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
