Hollywood

/ˌhɑliˈwʊd/

/ˈhɒliwʊd/

Other forms: Hollywoods; Hollywooder

Hollywood is both the name of a specific neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles and a term for the film industry that's located there. Maybe one day you'll direct a film in Hollywood!

If your life goal is to make it to Hollywood, you've probably set your sights on being a movie star or screenwriter (rather than simply hoping to list Hollywood as your return address). These days, a Hollywood film is any big-budget American movie. Hollywood was originally a ranch established in 1886, which became a farming village in 1903. Just seven years later, barns began to be converted into movie studios, and the rest is history.

Definitions of Hollywood

1. noun

   a district of Los Angeles long associated with the American film industry
   example of:

   city district

   a district of a town or city
2. noun

   the film industry of the United States
   type of:

   film industry, movie industry

   the entertainment industries involved in producing and distributing movies
3. adjective

   of or relating to the film industry in the United States
   “a Hollywood actor”
4. noun

   a flashy vulgar tone or atmosphere believed to be characteristic of the American film industry
   “some people in publishing think of theirs as a glamorous medium so they copy the glitter of Hollywood”

   type of:

   feel, feeling, flavor, flavour, look, smell, spirit, tone

   the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people
5. adjective

   flashy and vulgar
   synonyms:

   indecent

   offensive to good taste especially in sexual matters