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
Be prepared that this show breaks the fourth wall, with performers combing the crowd and tossing balloons about.
—
Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026
The fourth wall is coming down.
—CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Tatarsky often breaks the fourth wall, responding to the audience’s reactions and taking them on a journey through the artist’s characters.
—Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
During the rehearsal, Ruffalo broke the fourth wall just once, after uttering a weirdly contemporary-sounding line having to do with CBS’ newsroom possibly wanting to keep its distance from the slowly developing Nixon-scandal story.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Jan. 2026
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Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026
The fourth wall is coming down.
—CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Tatarsky often breaks the fourth wall, responding to the audience’s reactions and taking them on a journey through the artist’s characters.
—Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
During the rehearsal, Ruffalo broke the fourth wall just once, after uttering a weirdly contemporary-sounding line having to do with CBS’ newsroom possibly wanting to keep its distance from the slowly developing Nixon-scandal story.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fourth wall
Cite this Entry
“Fourth wall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fourth%20wall. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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