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 motion-picture 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

Here, a team of science-loving storm chasers led by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos become rivals to a group of scrappier thriller seekers led by Glen Powell in this summer’s ultimate blockbuster spectacle — and its most forceful argument for the importance of the big-screen experience. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 July 2024

His other big-screen roles over the years include the coming-of-age musical Sing Street (2016), Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017), and the Angelina Jolie smokejumper thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021). —Danny Horn, EW.com, 14 July 2024

Noun

That’s a big sentiment, just made to play out on a big screen. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 17 July 2024

Stars like Nicole Scherzinger and Brooke Shields were seemingly gleeful when the duo showed up in a big screen. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 16 June 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