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

Anything that is possible to make international cinema more accessible is necessary and welcome. —Michelle Lee, People.com, 17 May 2025

The longtime focal point of cinema has lost a lot of opportunities to the rest of the world: There are other major American hubs, including in Georgia and New Mexico, but plenty more in regions such as Europe and Australia, where tax incentives are plentiful and labor is often far cheaper. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 17 May 2025

Pagnol did suggest this idea, to put a tariff on American cinema. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025

Jarecki discusses the film’s provocative themes and his ongoing pursuit of truth through cinema. —Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 16 May 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

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