breaking the fourth wall

A form of break the fourth wall — To apparently communicate with reality directly, such as when characters of literature comment on the existence of a reader.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of break the fourth wall
Cite this entry
APA

breaking the fourth wall. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breaking%20the%20fourth%20wall

MLA

“breaking the fourth wall.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breaking%20the%20fourth%20wall. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “breaking the fourth wall,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breaking%20the%20fourth%20wall.

Source: breaking the fourth wall on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.