fifth wall noun5 •The ceiling.The fifth wall is the ceiling. Ceilings can be painted a color, painted with special effects, or wallpapered. — 2000 •The floor.There's a "fifth wall" in every room. ..and it needs more care than the other four, put together. That "fifth wall" is the floor. — 1955 •The division between the fictional world depicted, and the actual actors, props, etc.Bottom does not speak as a fictional figure pretending to be its actor, but, having crossed the fifth wall, as a “real” human being, as himself as Bottom. — 2010 •The divide between critics or audience members and author or theater practitioner.The volume is based on a workshop held at the Globe, designed as an opportunity to break down a so-called fifth wall – an invisible barrier between theatre practitioners and critics. — 2006 •Any of various other divisions between groups of people in the theatre.There's a fifth wall here tonight. And that's the wall between men and women. Which may be the toughest of all to crack. — 1996 formsfifth walls
