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 of big-screen

Noun

• film
• movie
• filmmaking
• silver screen
• pictures

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

Others are negging him about his big-screen accomplishments. —Alex Barasch, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Miramax CEO Jon Glickman noted that the time was right for a big-screen comedy that could unite audiences. —Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 3 Mar. 2026

Noun

And Gyllenhaal made it to be seen on a big screen, with a big crowd. —ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026

Surviving the advent of television and home movie-viewing via VHS tapes, DVDs and streaming, the Grand Lake continues to operate as a place where people can come together to watch movies on a big screen — as movies were made to be watched. —Martha Ross, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1914, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for big-screen

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• amine
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between

Kids Definition

big screen

noun

: the motion-picture medium as contrasted to television