Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary thesaurus view recents

coliseum

noun
Save Word
col·​i·​se·​um | \ ˌkä-lə-ˈsē-əm How to pronounce coliseum (audio) \

Definition of coliseum

1 capitalized : colosseum sense 1
2 : a large sports stadium or building designed like the Colosseum for public entertainments
Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about coliseum

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for coliseum

Synonyms

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

Examples of coliseum in a Sentence

the local coliseum is a standard stop for rock bands on tour
Recent Examples on the Web Kids can play with castles, pirate ships, hospitals, farms, bakeries, Santa’s workshop, even a Roman coliseum. — David Kindy, Smithsonian, "How Playmobil Went From a Simple, Smiling Figure to a Worldwide Sensation," 3 Dec. 2019 Toronto's environs sat in for the Motor City, so Cobo is played by a coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario. — Julie Hinds, Freep.com, "These are the 50 most essential movies set in Michigan," 12 Dec. 2019 The Who last appeared in Cincinnati at a concert in the coliseum in December of 1975. — Jeff Suess, Cincinnati.com, "The Who concert tragedy 40 years ago: Stampede kills 11 persons at Coliseum rock concert," 3 Dec. 2019 The Who last appeared in Cincinnati at a concert in the coliseum in December of 1975. — The Enquirer, USA TODAY, "The Who concert stampede left 11 people dead 40 years ago. Here's what newspaper coverage looked like," 3 Dec. 2019 Blue and green lightsabers swirl throughout the coliseum (with one purple exception for Mace), but the Jedi are outnumbered, and only a small group survives. — James Hibberd, EW.com, "Inside the Star Wars prequels' 3 best lightsaber fights," 22 Nov. 2019 Media accounts of the construction of the coliseum make little reference to the families that were displaced by the project and the story of Adamstown has faded to the background in the decades since. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky basketball to honor African American community displaced by Memorial Coliseum," 31 Oct. 2019 The community shrank in size over time before its final homes were demolished to build the coliseum. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky basketball to honor African American community displaced by Memorial Coliseum," 31 Oct. 2019 Since then, events have conspired to return Mr. Romney back into the dirty coliseum of politics. — Mark Leibovich, New York Times, "Donald Trump’s Gift to Mitt Romney: Relevance," 26 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coliseum.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of coliseum

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for coliseum

Medieval Latin Colosseum, Colisseum

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about coliseum

Time Traveler for coliseum

Time Traveler

The first known use of coliseum was in 1660

See more words from the same year

Statistics for coliseum

Last Updated

31 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Coliseum.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coliseum?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=c&file=colise01. Accessed 26 January 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for coliseum

coliseum

noun
How to pronounce coliseum (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of coliseum

chiefly US : a large stadium or building for sports or entertainment

See the full definition for coliseum in the English Language Learners Dictionary

coliseum

noun
col·​i·​se·​um | \ ˌkä-lə-ˈsē-əm How to pronounce coliseum (audio) \

Kids Definition of coliseum

: a large structure (as a stadium) for athletic contests or public entertainment

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on coliseum

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for coliseum

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with coliseum

Spanish Central: Translation of coliseum

Nglish: Translation of coliseum for Spanish Speakers

Comments on coliseum

What made you want to look up coliseum? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

sublimate

Listen to the pronounciation of sublimate

to express in a more acceptable way

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Intact Latin Quiz

  • roman tablet
  • What did focus mean in Latin?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Bee Cubed

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games