Bollywood

noun

Bol·​ly·​wood ˈbä-lē-ˌwu̇d How to pronounce Bollywood (audio)
: the movie industry in India

Examples of Bollywood in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
India’s Nasir Shaikh is a man who redefined cinema for those who had little access to the starry world of Bollywood in the alleys of the Indian city of Mumbai. Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025 Following the screening of the show’s pilot episode, the Bollywood Svetlana Tulasi Dance Company performed in front of guests and led them to the after party where industry insiders flooded THR’s portrait studio. Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2025 His idea is to splice together VHS scenes from Bollywood movies with Buster Keaton and Chaplin flicks, a crime waiting to be discovered. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2025 But at the very end, the movie features a giant song-and-dance routine – a shout-out to traditional Bollywood – that a little-too-seamlessly transitions out of the final scene and yanks you out of a satisfying ending. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Bollywood

Word History

Etymology

Bombay (Mumbai), traditional center of the Indian film industry + Hollywood

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Bollywood was in 1969

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bollywood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Bollywood. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!