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
Her presence represents a bridge between great international cinema and the eternal beauty of our land.
—
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 May 2025
Daggubati is known for his roles in modern classics of Indian cinema including the Baahubali series of films, which are among the highest grossing Indian films of all time.
—Erik Ofgang, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, the action drama also stars Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, and Ming-Na Wen, and opens across more than 300 cinemas in the U.K. and Ireland.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 May 2025
Ophuls moved to Los Angeles in 1941, getting his first taste of cinema playing a member of the Hitler Youth in one of Frank Capra’s wartime propaganda films.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cinema
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Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 May 2025
Daggubati is known for his roles in modern classics of Indian cinema including the Baahubali series of films, which are among the highest grossing Indian films of all time.
—Erik Ofgang, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, the action drama also stars Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, and Ming-Na Wen, and opens across more than 300 cinemas in the U.K. and Ireland.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 May 2025
Ophuls moved to Los Angeles in 1941, getting his first taste of cinema playing a member of the Hitler Youth in one of Frank Capra’s wartime propaganda films.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 26 May 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 Jun. 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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