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
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 committee said in a statement that the film’s inclusion underscores Indonesian cinema’s growing ambition to strengthen its presence on the global stage.
—
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Sep. 2025
As Emmy celebrations peppered the town on Saturday night, a starkly differently occasion left attendees shaken, tearful and reminded of the immersive power of cinema.
—Stacey Wilson Hunt, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2025
For a book that not many people know about or have read, James George Frazer’s The Golden Bough (1890) has had quite an impact on cult cinema, particularly in the ’70s.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025
May the King of the Monsters rule Japanese cinema for another 70 years.
—Michael Taube, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cinema
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Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Sep. 2025
As Emmy celebrations peppered the town on Saturday night, a starkly differently occasion left attendees shaken, tearful and reminded of the immersive power of cinema.
—Stacey Wilson Hunt, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2025
For a book that not many people know about or have read, James George Frazer’s The Golden Bough (1890) has had quite an impact on cult cinema, particularly in the ’70s.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025
May the King of the Monsters rule Japanese cinema for another 70 years.
—Michael Taube, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cinema
Cite this Entry
“Cinema.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cinema. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
adjective
ˌsin-ə-ˈmat-ik
cinematically
adverb
-i-k(ə-)lē
Etymology
derived from French cinématographe "motion picture," from Greek kinēma "movement" and graphe "picture," from kinein "to move" — related to kinetic
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