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

Unlike many lucrative incentives in other jurisdictions, especially internationally, post-production is not a beneficiary of the Golden State’s current $750 million annual tax-credits program if the small-screen or big-screen project is filmed elsewhere. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2026

After playing Sloane, the actress continued her big-screen career in By the Sword (1991), Timecop (1994), and The Life of Chuck (2024). —Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026

Noun

Owner Shad Khan and quarterback Trevor Lawrence were there via video on a big screen talking about the excitement of playing in Orlando. —Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026

By 2025, Boone had exploded into fame – selling out the 23,000-person American Family Insurance Amphitheater with plenty of acrobatics, fireworks and big screen visuals. —Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 29 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