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
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
In 2014 he was honored with a BAFTA lifetime achievement award for outstanding British contribution to cinema.
—
Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
The state of the box office Has the cinema business recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and two overlapping Hollywood strikes?
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The cinema was full and everyone was crying at the end.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
From a visual style that cites the wild, earth-toned cinema of New Hollywood to the motifs of American rock music and Coca-Cola, Park, who directed three episodes, illustrates how the soft power of cultural imperialism can blur battle lines.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
Recommended The new releases reflect a broader shift in Indian cinema over the past decade, one that some critics say has transformed Bollywood into an extension of the prime minister’s PR machine.
—Sushmita Pathak, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2024
Screening French cinema six consecutive Thursdays, March 14-April 18.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
It’s intended to pay homage to the cinema of the novel’s time period, a visual choice that also sets it apart from prior onscreen versions.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024
Photo : Reymond Langton A Nemo Theater Two cinemas—one outdoor on the bridge deck and one indoor on the lower deck—deliver the latest in movies.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
The state of the box office Has the cinema business recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and two overlapping Hollywood strikes?
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The cinema was full and everyone was crying at the end.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
From a visual style that cites the wild, earth-toned cinema of New Hollywood to the motifs of American rock music and Coca-Cola, Park, who directed three episodes, illustrates how the soft power of cultural imperialism can blur battle lines.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
Recommended The new releases reflect a broader shift in Indian cinema over the past decade, one that some critics say has transformed Bollywood into an extension of the prime minister’s PR machine.
—Sushmita Pathak, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2024
Screening French cinema six consecutive Thursdays, March 14-April 18.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
It’s intended to pay homage to the cinema of the novel’s time period, a visual choice that also sets it apart from prior onscreen versions.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024
Photo : Reymond Langton A Nemo Theater Two cinemas—one outdoor on the bridge deck and one indoor on the lower deck—deliver the latest in movies.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cinema.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cinema
Cite this Entry
“Cinema.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cinema. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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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