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

The cultural shift that turned horror cinema from a disreputable, rarely respected grind-house film genre into a billion-dollar-a-year mainstream business has done wonders for the genre’s overall quality. —Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 29 May 2026

Part of the problem, Gelfond has previously lamented to Variety, is that Wall Street values Imax like its a cinema chain, such as AMC Theatres, which is mired in debt. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 May 2026

By combining the visual splendor and thrills of the cinema with a more extensive, intimate view into the character’s daily life previously only seen in the novels, the new video game version of 007 provides more of everything, and may not be fully reliant on periodic installments to dole out bliss. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026

Let’s make this as a cinema movie. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 28 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