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

Motorola framed the device as one that transitions smoothly between pocket-sized convenience and big-screen capability. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026

In her first major big-screen role since May December, an icy-blonde Natalie Portman is Polina Polinski, an ambitious gallerist gearing up for her Art Basel premiere, in this acerbic art world satire from Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs). —Radhika Seth, Vogue, 6 Jan. 2026

Noun

Beyond big screen appearances in films like Dude, Where's My Car? —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026

Lisa Johnson Super Cocina, City Heights Great, fresh food with a neighborhood clientele and a big screen TV with cool banda and regional Mexican music playing inside. —Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025

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