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 That means charming Aussie cafes right by a food truck park and a delightful mix of vintage stores, live music venues, rooftop bars, and even a boutique indie cinema. Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2024 What emerges is a work of conceptual cinema with an enormous vision—one that reaches into the present day—in which the glories of French culture emerge as inseparable from the political essence of the French government. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024 Cooper has a real gift for understanding the art of cinema. Heide Janssen, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2024 The history of cinema has been made infinitely better by these noble Blacktresses and no Oscar could possibly beat that. Want more movie news? Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 15 Mar. 2024 In today’s pixel-eat-pixel world where VFX and CGI rule the roost, these fearless performers may seem like an anomaly — a throwback to an analog era where actual humans [gasp] had to provide the thrills and spills that are a key part of cinema’s DNA. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 Abang Adik was among the surprise packets to emerge from Southeast Asian cinema over the past 12 months. Mathew Scott, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 Sadly, Indigenous representation in the Academy has been virtually non-existent in the history of cinema. Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 This is always the cruelest category, in which all of international cinema is whittled down to five nominees. Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 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.

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

Dictionary Entries Near cinema

Cite this Entry

“Cinema.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cinema. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on cinema

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!