cinema

noun

cin·​e·​ma ˈsi-nə-mə 

British also -ˌmä

1

: movie sense 1

—often used before another noun

cinema enthusiasts

2

: a movie theater

go to the cinema

3

: the art, technique, or business of making movies : the motion-picture medium or industry

Synonyms of cinema

• film
• filmmaking
• movie

Examples of cinema in a Sentence

a student of French cinema

We drove by the cinema to see what was playing.

Recent Examples on the Web

Then, inside the cinema, the four were seated together in the front row. —Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 9 May 2026

The documentary following the band — from magna studios and Sony Music Vision — has been picked up by Disney, with a limited theatrical release on IMAX screens and other cinemas now set for September 11, before streaming exclusively on Disney+ internationally later this year. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 8 May 2026

Space kills with patience, and often much more painfully than the instant deaths depicted in cinema, unfolding over seconds, days, minutes, or even years. —Alan Bradley, Space.com, 8 May 2026

Because every time a cinema opens, democratic life reasserts itself. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

short for cinematograph

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing cinema

• cinema verité
• go to the cinema

Rhymes for cinema

• minima

Kids Definition

cinema

noun

cin·​e·​ma ˈsin-ə-mə 

1

a

: movie sense 2a

a cinema director

b

: a theater for showing movies

went to the cinema

2

a

: the business of making movies

worked in cinema

b

: the art or technique of making movies

a student of French cinema

cinematic

ˌsin-ə-ˈmat-ik

adjective

cinematically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Etymology

derived from French cinématographe "motion picture," from Greek kinēma "movement" and graphe "picture," from kinein "to move" — related to kinetic