colosseum

noun

col·​os·​se·​um ˌkä-lə-ˈsē-əm How to pronounce colosseum (audio)
1
capitalized : an amphitheater built in Rome in the first century a.d.
2

Examples of colosseum in a Sentence

run 10 laps around the colosseum
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Draped in flowy silk capes and adorned with rattling, chunky gold, and silver rings, Denzel Washington embodies the flashiest villain and the colosseum’s bullpen organizer, Macrinus. Malik Peay, Essence, 3 Dec. 2024 The instrumentalist compared the feeling of stepping foot into those stadiums every weekend to a gladiator making his way into a colosseum. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2024 The colosseum flooding alone would earn it a top spot among contenders for the remaining seats at the awards table. Mark Hughes, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024 However, Lucius is brought back to the colosseum after being captured in North Africa. Malik Peay, Essence, 3 Dec. 2024 When Macrinus is in the suburban colosseum with the baboons, his outfit is subtle and majestic. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 23 Nov. 2024 So who would win if the two characters Rheon played were dropped into the colosseum for a gladiatorial bout? Hunter Ingram, Variety, 19 July 2024 After a decade-long break from modeling, the Kansas City, Mo. native recently returned to set for a photo shoot with New York City artists Tanner Abel and Nicholas Needham to recreate her iconic Italian colosseum portrait from the show. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024 Enlarge / Artist's rendition of two Elden Ring teams, The Medium and The Message, battling it out in a colosseum constructed from micro-transactions and overseen by mystical creatures known as Whales. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 6 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, from Latin, neuter of colosseus colossal, from colossus

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of colosseum was in 1809

Dictionary Entries Near colosseum

Cite this Entry

“Colosseum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colosseum. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

colosseum

noun
col·​os·​se·​um ˌkäl-ə-ˈsē-əm How to pronounce colosseum (audio)
1
capitalized : an outdoor arena built in Rome in the first century a.d.
2
Etymology

Latin, from colosseus "colossal," derived from colossus "colossus"

More from Merriam-Webster on colosseum

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!