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

The soundtrack for the first film recently opened at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 — the highest ever debut for a big-screen adaptation of a stage musical on the chart. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 27 Dec. 2024

Kansas City Chiefs tight end — and Taylor Swift’s beau — Travis Kelce is making his big-screen debut in the film. —Elizabeth Rosner, People.com, 25 Dec. 2024

Noun

With her latest big screen role, Lily-Rose Depp had the chance to flip the script on a classic film with a feminist skew. —Melanie Brooks, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2024

While countless stars intrigued us on the red carpet, stage and big screen, including PEOPLE's cover star Taylor Swift, others made a huge impact on smaller screens. —Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 4 Dec. 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