fourth wall

noun

: an imaginary wall (as at the opening of a modern stage proscenium) that keeps performers from recognizing or directly addressing their audience

Examples of fourth wall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But both also employ ambitious visual elements, with Baby Reindeer creator and star Richard Gadd frequently breaking the fourth wall to inject his perspective into the story and Adolescence filming each episode as a single unbroken take. Joe Reid, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2025 No velvet rope, no fourth wall—just boot-stomping, beer-sign neon and crowd-absorption tech. Bob Bonniol, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025 Periodically, the cast breaks the fourth wall — in this show, maybe that’s the barn door? Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025 No one broke the fourth wall to acknowledge that this was anything other than a deeply theatrical experience — except for Josh Gad’s Herod, with some improvised joking in his one number. Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fourth wall

Word History

First Known Use

1807, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fourth wall was in 1807

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Cite this Entry

“Fourth wall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fourth%20wall. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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