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
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 75th Berlin Film Festival has concluded after nine days of fearless cinema in Germany.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 22 Feb. 2025
But then the Independent Spirit Awards come along—a shining beacon of low-budget cinema, gender-neutral acting categories, oddball glamour, and genuinely funny opening monologues.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2025
Marking the 50th year of the awards ceremony that celebrates the best of the best in French film, the ceremony will be presided over by none other than the grande dame of French cinema, Catherine Deneuve, while Julia Roberts has been announced as an honorary César Award recipient.
—Isabelle Kliger, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Occasionally, one of them may be recognized belatedly as a masterwork that retroactively transforms the history of cinema and guides its future.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cinema
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 22 Feb. 2025
But then the Independent Spirit Awards come along—a shining beacon of low-budget cinema, gender-neutral acting categories, oddball glamour, and genuinely funny opening monologues.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2025
Marking the 50th year of the awards ceremony that celebrates the best of the best in French film, the ceremony will be presided over by none other than the grande dame of French cinema, Catherine Deneuve, while Julia Roberts has been announced as an honorary César Award recipient.
—Isabelle Kliger, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Occasionally, one of them may be recognized belatedly as a masterwork that retroactively transforms the history of cinema and guides its future.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cinema
Cite this Entry
“Cinema.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cinema. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
adjective
ˌsin-ə-ˈmat-ik
cinematically
adverb
-i-k(ə-)lē
Etymology
derived from French cinématographe "motion picture," from Greek kinēma "movement" and graphe "picture," from kinein "to move" — related to kinetic
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