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

Raised in Iowa, where one of her babysitters was future actress Jean Seberg, Hurt made her big-screen debut in Interiors (1978), Woody Allen’s first full foray into drama. —Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 29 Mar. 2026

That was true in the endless reruns of the original show, the cartoon series, the novels, and the big-screen movies. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2026

Noun

Alicia Silverstone returns, drinking a cocktail and watching the ceremony on a big screen near the auditorium door. —Rachel Handler, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026

Attractions will include a big screen to watch the matches, a mini soccer pitch for games, kid-friendly activities and more. —Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 13 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