Matinee
//ˈmætɪˌneɪ// noun, verb
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A showing of a movie, sporting event, or theatrical performance in the morning or afternoon.
"59 sneak in some red Smuggle a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a corkscrew into a long matinee. Red wine is rich in life-extending antioxidants, and the caper will add zest even to a bad movie."
- 2 a theatrical performance held during the daytime (especially in the afternoon) wordnet
- 3 A woman's dress to be worn in the morning or before dinner. dated
"Empire matinees in lingerie stuffs with trimmings of lace and embroidery are shown in great variety."
Verb
- 1 To put on a matinee performance (of). ambitransitive
Example
More examples"Matinee movie tickets are cheaper, but it also means getting to the movie theater before noon."
Etymology
From French matinée.
Related phrases
More for "matinee"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.