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 Rebels jumped out to a commanding 24-7 lead in the first half before the Tigers scored 17 unanswered points to knot things up and set the scene for a fourth quarter that could only be described as pure cinema. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Gerrit Graham, who left an indelible mark on cult cinema as glam rock shill Beef in Phantom of the Paradise, has died. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2026

The renaissance of small cinemas in New York includes the Low, but also theaters like Negative Space in Bushwick, the Spectacle Theater in Williamsburg, and Film Noir Cinema in Greenpoint. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Sep. 2026

Since his minor role in the Scorsese crime thriller, Jackson has become synonymous with American cinema, starring in Pulp Fiction (1994), A Time to Kill (1996), Django Unchained (2012), The Hateful Eight (2015), among many others. — Glenn Garner, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 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