break the fourth wall

English

Etymology

break + the + fourth wall

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

break the fourth wall (third-person singular simple present breaks the fourth wall, present participle breaking the fourth wall, simple past broke the fourth wall, past participle broken the fourth wall)

1. (idiomatic, fiction) To apparently communicate with reality directly, such as when characters of literature comment on the existence of a reader.

Translations

direct communication with the viewer or reader

• Esperanto: rompi la kvaran muron
• French: briser le quatrième mur
• Georgian: მეოთხე კედლის გარღვევა (meotxe ḳedlis garɣveva), მეოთხე კედლის გატეხვა (meotxe ḳedlis gaṭexva)
• Italian: rompere la quarta parete
• Portuguese: derrubar a quarta parede
• Spanish: romper la cuarta pared