cinema

noun

cin·​e·​ma ˈsi-nə-mə How to pronounce cinema (audio)
 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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Clever Creature has been building its slate of international genre projects spanning horror, action and elevated cinema. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025 People no longer have the patience to sit quietly in a dark cinema and dream. Gavin J Blair, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2025 The film's dynamic camerawork, bolstered by a towering cinema screen, adds an aesthetic depth that makes Bella and Edward's romance feel much more palpable. Edward Segarra, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025 Richard Linklater‘s Nouvelle Vague time-travels to the moment right before modern cinema’s big bang, when the French New Wave crested and Godard’s Breathless would change everything. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cinema

Word History

Etymology

short for cinematograph

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of cinema was in 1909

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cinema.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cinema. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

cinema

noun
cin·​e·​ma ˈsin-ə-mə How to pronounce cinema (audio)
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

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