Bollywood

noun

Bol·​ly·​wood ˈbä-lē-ˌwu̇d How to pronounce Bollywood (audio)
: the motion-picture industry in India

Examples of Bollywood in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web After a low phase than spanned over two years, Bollywood is clearly bouncing back on its feet this year. Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 The award was conferred during the festival’s closing ceremony by Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana and Pramod Sawant, chief minister of Goa. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 29 Nov. 2023 For a time, popular music from the Bollywood industry was banned in favor of more classical music. Adil Rashid, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2023 By the mid-2000s, his films were catapulting obscure actors to Bollywood fame but Kashyap eschewed mainstream success, instead becoming a darling of the international film festival circuit. Anant Gupta, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023 The walls inside this small, canteen-style eatery are plastered in photographs that pay tribute to the restaurant’s impressive legacy and the many Bollywood and Iranian celebrities and royalty who have dined there. Laura Lai Coughlin, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Nov. 2023 Randhawa began by releasing independent singles and grew to become a global icon and pop star recognized for his Punjabi and Bollywood hits. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 9 Nov. 2023 Her parents were—and still are—musicians in a Bay Area Bollywood cover band called Geetanjali. Parizaad Khan Sethi, Vogue, 7 Nov. 2023 From July/August 2021 issue: Can Bollywood survive Modi? Vaibhav Vats, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Bollywood.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Bombay (Mumbai), traditional center of the Indian film industry + Hollywood

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Bollywood was in 1969

Dictionary Entries Near Bollywood

Cite this Entry

“Bollywood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Bollywood. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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