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

The iconic programming offers new and innovative international cinema. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025

That was even true of titles that didn’t make the best picture cut, speaking of a depth in talent currently coursing through Spanish cinema. —John Hopewell, Variety, 8 Feb. 2025

Packed with visual and auditory nods to film history, Pulp Fiction seemingly references everything from French New Wave cinema to The Warriors to The Flintstones. —Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2025

In deconstructing cinema, the movies seek to deconstruct life itself. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Feb. 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

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