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

After nearly five years (since the pandemic outbreak in 2020), a major producer has shown such faith in cinemas and the power of their film. —Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025

Her presence will greatly enrich this year’s program and offer the audience a unique opportunity to engage with one of the key figures in contemporary cinema. —Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2025

In some ways, the two halves of its story connect those two distinct periods in cinema history. —Brent Lang, Variety, 20 June 2025

The movie’s an expert example of cinema as a narcotic designed for dopamine fixes, made with both precision and predictable beats. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 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