Meaning & use
breaking the fourth wall
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Meanings
phraseidiom
When a performer in a story speaks to or acknowledges the audience, showing the story is only a performance.
Grammar: The verb changes: she breaks the fourth wall, he broke the fourth wall, breaking the fourth wall.
Patterns
- break the fourth wall
The comedian was breaking the fourth wall when he winked at the camera and said hello to viewers.
In the film, the hero breaks the fourth wall by explaining the plot to us directly.
Breaking the fourth wall can make a drama feel funny and personal.
phraseidiomfigurative
Doing something in a work or situation that openly admits it is staged or artificial, even outside theater.
Grammar: Used loosely and figuratively; it often has an object or a context: breaking the fourth wall in a speech.
Patterns
- break the fourth wall in something
The presenter broke the fourth wall by joking about the script on live television.
The video game kept breaking the fourth wall, mentioning the player's save files.
Common combinations
- break the fourth wall
- The narrator breaks the fourth wall in the opening scene.
- famous for breaking the fourth wall
- The show is famous for breaking the fourth wall in nearly every episode.
- a character breaking the fourth wall
- A character breaking the fourth wall surprised first-time viewers.
- deliberately break the fourth wall
- The director deliberately breaks the fourth wall near the end.
Synonyms and how they differ
- addressing the audience
- Addressing the audience describes the plain action, but it does not carry the idea of shattering the illusion of the story that breaking the fourth wall does.
- metafiction
- Metafiction is a wider style of story that comments on its own fiction, so breaking the fourth wall is just one technique within it.
- aside
- An aside is a short remark to the audience in a play, while breaking the fourth wall can be a longer or more dramatic acknowledgment.
Opposites
Word family
- fourth wall noun
- the imaginary wall between performers and the audience
- break verb
- to destroy or end something such as an illusion
- metafictional adjective
- describing a story that draws attention to being fiction
Practice
In which situation is the actor breaking the fourth wall?
Choose one answer.
Breaking the fourth wall means speaking to the audience and admitting it is watching. Forgetting a line or arguing with another character does not address the audience.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “breaking the fourth wall”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.