playhouse
Americannoun
plural
playhouses-
a theater.
-
a small house for children to play in.
-
a toy house.
noun
-
a theatre where live dramatic performances are given
-
a toy house, small room, etc, for children to play in
Etymology
Origin of playhouse
1590–1600; play + house; compare Old English pleghūs, as gloss of Latin theātrum theater
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.
“An Awfully Big Adventure” follows 16-year-old Stella Bradshaw into the dim hallways and bustling dressing rooms of a popular playhouse in 1950s Liverpool, England.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
He said his aunt Rene "fondly" remembered meeting the royal family and recalled playing in a large playhouse in the Royal Lodge's garden.
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026
Melody Butiu has a few moving moments as the loyal nanny—who lives in the kids’ abandoned playhouse.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 10, 2025
Major studios sent their silent film stars to the playhouse school to beef up their acting chops, and later students including Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Sally Struthers and Raymond Burr roamed the hallways.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2025
He led me to the rear of the playhouse, to the players' entrance.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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.
