theater of war
1
7.5
- noun
- /ˈθiːətər əv wɔr/
- Specialized
:
teatro de operaciones
- During World War II, the European theater of war included significant battles such as Normandy and the Bulge.
Examples
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The Japanese theater of war cost us 95,000 lives and untold injuries.
Blog text (11) -
The United Nations possessed, and still possesses, territories and bases in the Western Pacific-Asiatic theater of war and in the European theater.
Academic text (1991) -
For now, we'll move on to the last major theatre of war, Spain.
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I've seen action in five different theaters of war.
-
My father fought in the European theater of war and came home a wrecked man.
Blog text (11) -
There is little coordination or integration of policies toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, although the two countries now constitute a single theater of war.
Academic text (2008) -
Although we have neglected this theatre of war for some time, it is time to return to Ingria and Estonia.
-
Over time, these programs were expanded to include the protection of rear areas, such as ports and airfields in the theater of war, against chemical and biological attack.
Academic text (2004) -
The USCG served in both theaters of war in WW2 and actually manned more US naval vessels than did the US Navy.
Blog text (11) -
Since the two theatres of war in Apulia and Sicily operated in a parallel way, and since the campaigning period had just begun for the Normans, Guiscard immediately turned his attention to Palermo.
Academic text (2010)
Synonyms
60
7.7
A large area where soldiers fight during a war
47
3.8
An area where soldiers fight during a war
9
5.5
An area where soldiers are actively fighting during a war
4
4.3
An area where soldiers or armed groups are fighting
2
8.4
An area where fighting takes place during a war
1
6.1
An area where soldiers fight the enemy
1
7.2
An area where soldiers fight and do military work during a war
How Big
- Specialized
1
7.5
- Specialized
1
7.2
97
6.8
228
3.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: combining 'theater' (an area designated for military campaigns) with 'war' yields 'an area or domain where war/hostile operations occur,' which a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer. Although modern usage extends this spatial image metaphorically to non-physical domains (e.g. cyberspace), that extension follows a transparent, predictable mapping and does not block basic comprehension.
Etymology
The phrase theater of war comes from the idea of a theater as a stage where people watch events. Military leaders used theater to mean the area of land, sea, or air where fighting happens, so the phrase means the 'place' of military operations.