film

noun, often attributive

\ ˈfilm

, Southern also ˈfi(ə)m\

plural films

Definition of film

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a thin skin or membranous covering : pellicle

b : an abnormal growth on or in the eye

2 : a thin covering or coating a film of ice

3a : an exceedingly thin layer : lamina

b(1) : a thin flexible transparent sheet (as of plastic) used especially as a wrapping

(2) : a thin sheet of cellulose acetate or nitrocellulose coated with a radiation-sensitive emulsion for taking photographs

4a : movie, motion picture an award-winning film film critics The film will start in ten minutes.

b : the process, art, or business of making movies a career in film She studied film in college.

film

verb

filmed; filming; films

Definition of film (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to cover with or as if with a film

2 : to make a motion picture of or from film a scene

intransitive verb

1 : to become covered or obscured with or as if with a film

2 : to make a motion picture

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Other Words from film

Noun

filmless \ ˈfilm-ləs

\ adjective

Verb

filmable \ ˈfil-mə-bəl

\ adjective

Examples of film in a Sentence

Noun

Have you bought any film for the camera? We haven't had the film developed yet. He's interested in making films about war. We'll start the film at 10:00. He studied film in college. the protective film over a shark's eye A film of ice covered the sidewalk.

Verb

Television news crew members came to film the interview. She filmed the children playing.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

All seven women who helped raise Jean-Raymond are represented on film. — Chioma Nnadi, Vogue, "Pyer Moss Partners With Director X on a Moving New Film Project," 12 Apr. 2019 Verdon collaborated with Fosse on the film, and developed a close working relationship with Reinking. — Emma Dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "A Complete Timeline of the Real Relationship Between Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon," 9 Apr. 2019 After getting catfished six years ago, film and television producer Bernard Parham worked on the show Catfish seasons two to five. — Danielle Corcione, Teen Vogue, "6 Signs You're Being Catfished," 3 Apr. 2019 The new owner, a film and television writer from San Francisco, recently bought the house a few months earlier for $3.9 million and has the intent to invest through renting, starting at a price of $30,000 a month. — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "You Can Rent Paris Hilton's Former Party Pad for a Cool $30,000 a Month," 21 Mar. 2019 Remaining nonplussed in the face of extreme bodily risk is all in a day’s work for Vikander, who has made a career out of shape-shifting seamlessly into radically strong female characters in thoughtful indie films and commercial blockbusters alike. — Harper's BAZAAR, "Alicia Vikander Leaps to New Heights—in Life and Fashion," 13 Mar. 2019 Austin’s South by Southwest, or SXSW, began as a music, film and tech conference but has become a popular stop for left-of-center politicos. — Karl Rove, WSJ, "American History as Told by AOC," 13 Mar. 2019 The two are each other's professional support network, reading scripts together and occasionally working together on various TV and film projects. — Maria Carter, Woman's Day, "The Unconventional Path That Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy Took to Wedded Bliss," 12 Mar. 2019 Similarly, though it's been months since the movie was released, some people are still confused on where on Earth (literally) Ally lived with her father in the film. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "A Star Is Born Fans Couldn't Agree On This One Plot Point—Here's the Answer," 25 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Their grid posts and Stories indicate when filming on the show has started, reveal tiny tidbits about what’s happening on set, etc. — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, "13 Essential Celebrities to Follow on Instagram, According to Vogue Editors," 12 Apr. 2019 Congratulations to the cast and crew of #PeakyBlinders who wrap filming on Series 5 today. — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, "Peaky Blinders Season 5: Everything We Know So Far," 7 Apr. 2019 Along with their son Leland, the Chapmans have continued to film for the WGN show, Dog’s Most Wanted. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "'Dog the Bounty Hunter' Star Duane Chapman Gives Emotional Update About His Wife's Cancer," 31 Mar. 2019 The movie Mamma Mia was also filmed on Mount Pelion and the locals are still proud of their role in it. — Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, "28 Places Our Travel Specialists Say You Should Go in 2019," 17 Dec. 2018 The effect is called video interpolation, or motion smoothing, and last night, Tom Cruise and writer/director Chris McQuarrie dropped a surprise PSA on Twitter (apparently filmed on the set of Mission Impossible: Fallout) to warn us about this evil. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Tom Cruise finally takes a stand… on your parents’ terrible TV settings," 5 Dec. 2018 The show filmed on location across multiple continents. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "The Romanoffs, from Mad Men creator Matt Weiner, feels like a period piece about the present," 12 Oct. 2018 Now-former Police Officer Michael Slager would have gotten away with killing Walter Scott if a passerby didn’t happen to film it on a cellphone. — Michael Harriot, The Root, "All Black People Are Victims of Police Brutality," 26 June 2018 Loyal fans know the singer has been in London to film the movie adaptation of Cats. — Glamour, "Taylor Swift Wore Animal Print to the Cats Wrap Party, Because of Course She Did," 2 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'film.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near film

Statistics for film

Last Updated

20 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for film

The first known use of film was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for film

film

noun

English Language Learners Definition of film

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a special material that is used for taking photographs

: the process, art, or business of making movies

: a thin layer on or over the surface of something

film

verb

English Language Learners Definition of film (Entry 2 of 2)

: to make a movie of (something) : to photograph (an event, scene, etc.) with a movie or video camera

: to make a movie

See the full definition for film in the English Language Learners Dictionary

film

noun

\ ˈfilm

Kids Definition of film

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a roll of material prepared for taking pictures

2 : movie sense 1

3 : a thin coating or layer

film

verb

filmed; filming

Kids Definition of film (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to make a movie

2 : to photograph on a film

film

noun

\ ˈfilm

Medical Definition of film

1a : a thin skin or membranous covering : pellicle

b : an abnormal growth on or in the eye

2a : an exceedingly thin layer : lamina

b : a thin flexible transparent sheet of cellulose acetate or cellulose nitrate coated with a radiation-sensitive emulsion for taking photographs or making radiographs