cinema

noun

cin·​e·​ma ˈsi-nə-mə 

 British also  -ˌmä

1

a

: motion picture

—usually used attributively

b

: a motion-picture theater

2

a

: movies

especially : the film industry

b

: the art or technique of making motion pictures

Synonyms

• 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

Back then, Hindi cinema knew no better and banked majorly on the optics, avoiding the focus on better writing. —Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

Each one comes with 24-hour butler service, a private kitchen, a living room with an in-home cinema, outdoor dining space, and a 602-square-foot swimming pool. —Julie Olum, Travel + Leisure, 29 June 2025

Following her major cinema breakthrough in the 1998 film Taxi, Cotillard won her first of two César Awards (France's equivalent to the Oscars) for the 2004 drama A Very Long Engagement. —EW.com, 27 June 2025

The event cinema company helps indie helmers self-distribute their films. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 27 June 2025

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