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

In the 50-plus years between the end of WWII and Spielberg's intimate drama painted on the widest of big-screen canvases, no one has captured D-Day with the same harrowing, relentless intensity. —Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly, 13 June 2026

Tiddes is responsible for bringing big-screen comedies back with Scary Movie this summer; the pic opened to a franchise high $105M worldwide last weekend. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 11 June 2026

Noun

Fencing and stages are being set up on Midway Plaisance, where people with tickets will be able to watch the opening ceremony on a big screen. —Victor Jacobo, CBS News, 16 June 2026

While once a joke in Hollywood, video game to big screen adaptations have become some of the most profitable ventures in filmmaking. —Jack Dunn, Variety, 15 June 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
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between
• bromine

Kids Definition

big screen

noun

: the motion-picture medium as contrasted to television