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theater

theater

60 7.7
A large area where soldiers fight during a war
  • noun
  • /ˈθiːətər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : teatro de operaciones
  • The world has witnessed a lessening of tension in several troubled theaters in the recent past.
  • theater of operations
  • war theater
  • Pacific theater

Household Workers Unite reminds us that the home has long been a central theatre of public combat.

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Examples

  • I've seen action in five different theaters of war.

  • If you want my own opinion, this whole theater of operations is a sideshow.

  • Within five minutes, we should be able to get to a hospital, to a theater.

  • We were on planes every other day going to a new theater, a new city.

  • Is this your first mission in theater, JTAC?

  • The nation's leading museum was questioning traditional wisdom about the Pacific theater in World War II.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Deployment locations were identified using a map of the Gulf War theater of operations on which geographic regions were identified.

    Academic text (2012)
  • And we are certainly determined to do everything we can to help Ukrainians fleeing the theatre of conflict.

  • Frost served in many active theaters, including Libya from 1995 to 1998, Jordan, 1998 to 2000.

  • The military commanders are strategizing to gain advantage in the theater of operations.

Synonyms

field
vstheater
172 6.5

An area where soldiers fight during a war

is broader, highlighting major ongoing military activity across a large region
war zone
vstheater
47 3.8

An area where soldiers fight during a war

is more official and emphasizes significant wartime activity across a larger area
combat zone
vstheater
9 5.5

An area where soldiers are actively fighting during a war

is broader and stresses major operational regions beyond immediate fighting spots
conflict zone
vstheater
  • Literature
4 4.3

An area where soldiers or armed groups are fighting

is the more formal term used for large, important military action regions
theater of operations
vstheater
  • Specialized
2 8.4

An area where fighting takes place during a war

describes a large area emphasizing important active wartime actions
combat area
vstheater
  • Specialized
1 6.1

An area where soldiers fight the enemy

has a wider sense, covering overall important military activity not only direct fighting
field of operations
vstheater
  • Specialized
1 7.2

An area where soldiers fight and do military work during a war

focuses more on major, strategic wartime areas than on general activity
theater of war
vstheater
  • Specialized
7.7

An area that is not physical, like the internet or outer space, where military attacks happen

is about physical large regions where major military actions occur

Compounds

110 1.0

A building where people go to watch movies on a big screen

19 3.2

A stage show that tells a story using songs, talking, acting, and dance

9 4.0

A place where you eat a meal while watching a play

9 2.7

A group of people who put on plays for an audience

9 3.3

A set of speakers and a big screen at home for watching movies like in a cinema

A group of local people who are not professional and perform plays for people in their town

5 4.8

A small theater where students or community groups perform new plays

A room in a hospital where doctors do surgery

theater critic
  • Literature
4 4.8

A person who writes reviews of plays for newspapers or websites

4 4.1

A person who leads actors and shapes how a play looks and feels

2 1.0

A paper or electronic pass that lets you enter a live theater show

theater of operations
  • Specialized
2 8.4

An area where fighting takes place during a war

A live play performed outdoors to show social or political problems

1 9.1

Plays that show life as meaningless and use strange dialogue and events

theater of war
  • Specialized
1 7.5

An area of land, sea, or air where military fighting happens

1 2.3

The part of a theater where actors perform for an audience

A short unplanned show in public about political or social issues to get attention

theater in the round
  • Specialized
1 5.4

A theater where the audience sits around a central stage

1 7.5

A theater that presents a series of short live acts like comedy, music, and dance

4.4

A stage with seats on three or more sides so the audience sits close

A device that shows movies or TV on a large screen at home

4.4

A play made for listening on radio or audio recordings with actors, music, and sound effects

A large heavy cloth that hides the stage and opens or closes for a show

theater light
  • Specialized
3.2

A light that shines on actors and the stage during performances

theater of war
  • Specialized
7.7

An area that is not physical, like the internet or outer space, where military attacks happen

A person who quietly tells actors forgotten lines or cues

How Large

theater
  • Specialized
60 7.7
war zone
28 4.8
battlefield
228 3.2

Surface Forms

theater singular
theaters plural
theatres plural
theatre singular

Etymology

Theater is also used for war to mean a large 'place where events happen', and this comes from the same Greek theatron and thea ('view'). So a military 'theater' is like a big stage where important actions of a war take place.