big-screen

1 of 2

adjective

ˈbig-ˌskrēn 

1

: relating to movies or to the movie industry

She worked on the novel's big-screen adaptation.

Big-screen villains that resemble America's real-world enemies are as old as the movies themselves.

—Vanity Fair

2

: having a large screen

a big-screen television

And in my experience testing big-screen phones …, it really is far more difficult to do anything on them one-handed, including typing.

—John Gruber

big screen

2 of 2

noun

: the movie medium often as contrasted to television

a story adapted for the big screen

Synonyms

Noun

• cinema
• film
• filmdom
• filmland
• filmmaking
• movie
• moviemaking
• pictures
• screen
• silver screen

Examples of big-screen in a Sentence

Noun

many actors now take roles for both television and the big screen

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In 1996 in Canada, a 15-year-old Mickey Mouse Club alum named Ryan Gosling had his big-screen debut in Frankenstein and Me. —James Mercadante, EW.com, 28 Oct. 2024

His big-screen credits include 1980’s Brubaker, 1986’s Quicksilver, and 2016’s James White. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2024

Noun

The show references iconic witches like Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz (who are coincidentally coming soon to a big screen near you), not to mention Stevie Nicks. —Christian Holub, EW.com, 28 Oct. 2024

The best way to watch any sort of network programming for free on a big screen is with a good HD antenna. —Bychris Morris, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1914, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

big screen

noun

: the motion-picture medium as contrasted to television