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

• big screen
• film
• filmdom
• filmland
• filmmaking
• movie
• moviemaking
• pictures
• screen
• silver screen

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

In addition to movie screenings, panels, and workshops, the celebration of cinema will be honoring plenty of Hollywood stars and their work, including Demi Moore, Colman Domingo, and Sebastian Stan. —Ew Staff, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024

On the evolution of horror-comedy in Indian cinema, Aaryan observes that the genre has matured beyond traditional tropes. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024

The award no doubt comes his way thanks to a long and impressive list of iconic films like The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and Apocalypse Now and for contributions to American cinema that extend beyond his own resume. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Oct. 2024

Back in the cinema, Mr. Istanbouli decries the conflict’s civilian casualties. —Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Oct. 2024

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

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