movie theater
110
1.0
- noun
- /ˈmuːvi ˈθiːətər/
- US
:
cine
- The movie theater was packed with people eager to watch the premiere.
- movie theaters showing films
- local movie theaters
- movie theater chain
I remember being at the cinema, movie theatre to you Americans.
- I remember being at the cinema, movie theatre to you Americans.
- All of a sudden the lights in the movie theater just turn on.
- And it's one of those movie theaters where you get food served to you.
- There is an auditorium, a theater, a movie theater, and it's filled with cats.
- AMC, the movie theater chain was also shooting up.
- So we were at the movie theater, and we were seeing Civil War.
- This is going to be coming to a movie theatre near you.
- I mean, I think we would have seen Koda in a movie theater if it wasn't for the pandemic.
- OK we so Keiths lovely wife Becky rented us a movie theater last night.
- And we can open restaurants and movies and movie theaters soon.
- But it's, it's like a large movie theater with the same door.
Examples
-
And it's one of those movie theaters where you get food served to you.
-
All of a sudden the lights in the movie theater just turn on.
-
This is going to be coming to a movie theatre near you.
-
On one corner was a bank, and on the other was a movie theatre.
Fiction book (1990) -
We got to get everyone to the movie theater!
-
The movie theater closed the next fall.
-
Ma says love came to her in a dark movie theater.
Fiction book (1995) -
You can walk into a movie theater in Amsterdam and buy a beer.
-
And then every Saturday, I'd go to the little movie theater down the street.
Fiction book (1994) -
I worked in the movie theater at the bottom of Queen Anhill in Seattle.
Synonyms
553
1.0
A building where people go to see plays or movies
65
1.0
A building where people go to watch films on a screen
12
1.6
A building where people go to watch movies
7
4.1
A cinema with several screens that shows different films at the same time
2
3.4
A large movie theater with many screens showing different films at the same time
1
6.3
A building where people go to watch films
1
6.0
A building where people go to watch movies
1
4.9
A very large movie theater with many screens showing different films
1
8.9
An old-fashioned cinema where films are shown to the public
1
9.9
A building where people go to watch films
A cinema with several rooms showing different films
How Big
- Specialized
7
4.1
- US
110
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a building where films are shown' is directly and compositionally derived from 'movie' (film) + 'theater' (a venue for shows); a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the combined meaning. This noun‑noun compounding is a common, cross‑linguistic pattern (e.g., cinema/theatre compounds), so the expression is transparent.
Etymology
Movie theater The name movie theater comes from the old phrase 'moving picture' and the word theater for a place to watch shows; people shortened 'moving picture' to movie and used theater because films were shown like stage plays. So movie theater means 'a building where films are shown to the public'.