fourth wall

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fourth wall

1. The imaginary barrier that is considered to separate the audience from the characters in a play or other live performance: an actor who broke the fourth wall by directly addressing an audience member.

2. A similar imaginary barrier that is considered to separate a viewer from a film or other recorded performance: traditional films that maintain the illusion of the fourth wall.

3. A similar imaginary barrier regarding as separating a text from its readers.

[From its use in the theater, where it is likened to a wall that would complete the enclosure of a proscenium stage.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fourth wall

1. (Broadcasting) an imaginary barrier between a television programme, film, or play and its audience

2. (Film) an imaginary barrier between a television programme, film, or play and its audience

3. (Theatre) an imaginary barrier between a television programme, film, or play and its audience

4. (Broadcasting) break the fourth wall (esp of a character in a television programme, film, or play) to refer to, acknowledge, or address the audience, usually for comedic effect or as an avante-garde technique

5. (Film) break the fourth wall (esp of a character in a television programme, film, or play) to refer to, acknowledge, or address the audience, usually for comedic effect or as an avante-garde technique

6. (Theatre) break the fourth wall (esp of a character in a television programme, film, or play) to refer to, acknowledge, or address the audience, usually for comedic effect or as an avante-garde technique

[C19: referring to the three visible walls of a stage, television, or (sometimes) film set]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Translations

vierde wand

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

His head almost filled the fourth wall of her little room as he knelt near her in distress.

View in context

The artist says The Fourth Wall innovates how VR is exhibited.

Yourchancetoclimbthe'FourthWall'

Benilde (CSB) Theater was the sound of the fourth wall being pummeled, then flimsily fixed, then pummeled again-in a vicious cycle that lasted almost three hours-in the mind-numbing production of Nonon Padilla's 'Larawan ng Pilipino Bilang Artist(a),' which ended its two-week existence Dec.

A mind-numbing 'Larawan ng Pilipino Bilang Artist(a)'

Until a decade or so ago, there was a fourth wall separating people and celebrities of all types, and of course the politicians.

The 'fourth wall' is gone

"This is an exciting project because we get to help the Rocky Mountain CitySummit reach an entirely new audience," said Travis Bockenstedt, the Executive Producer of Fourth Wall Productions, DenverLive.tv's parent company.

DenverLive.tv Expands Rocky Mountain CitySummit Audience with Live Stream

"The fourth wall has been broken,'' sings Craig Rawding on Worcester band the Curtis Mayflower's new single, "Fourth Wall,'' "and I'm speaking straight to you.''

'Fourth Wall,' by the Curtis Mayflower

He said: "One man with only three walls to his house got a proper roof and a fourth wall."

Missionary says thanks

A special point of interest is a short series of strips in which Adams dares to break the fourth wall and draw himself into a few cartoons!

Try Rebooting Yourself

But even as Martin worked on details such as the angle of his head and how to partner the girl while gazing into the imaginary mirror that Robbins turns into an invisible "fourth wall," he didn't really discover himself in the role until they went onstage.

Debut: relishing Robbin's Faun

Officials at Coinstar stress that in order for the fourth wall to generate sales, retailers need to fill the area with offerings that create destination opportunities, enhance the shopping experience and encourage post-register purchases.

Profiting from the fourth wall

"What we've come to refer to as postmodernism is the questioning of the fourth wall," says MacIvor.

The increasing lightness of being Daniel MacIvor

Willing to break a "fourth wall"--in Burden's case, his own skin--these artists are also keen "to get the last word," Noland says.