cinema
Americannoun
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movies collectively, as an art.
During the Great Depression, cinema provided psychological comfort, an escape from the harsh realities of daily life.
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Chiefly British. Also kinema movie theater.
Do you know if there is a cinema near the British Museum?
noun
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a place designed for the exhibition of films
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( as modifier )
a cinema seat
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the art or business of making films
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films collectively
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of cinema
First recorded in 1895–1900; short for cinematograph
Explanation
A cinema is another word for a movie theater. If you love films, you probably spend a lot of time at the cinema. It's more common to say cinema in Britain than in the United States, but any English speaker will know what you're talking about if you ask, "Want to go to the cinema?" You can also use cinema to talk about the film industry and its history: "This is my favorite film in all of American cinema." The word was first used in 1899, from the French cinéma, which was a shortened form of cinématographe, "motion picture projector and camera."
Vocabulary lists containing cinema
And the Oscar Goes to... Award-worthy Words
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Academy Awards, List 6
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for July 17–July 23, 2021
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hit action films such as "Animal", "Dhurandhar" and the "Pushpa" series have helped cement the dominance of violent action cinema in Bollywood.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
Beyond that, they were also beloved by critics and audiences alike, with “WALL-E” deservedly earning a spot in the Criterion Collection in 2022, designating the film as a significant work within the medium of cinema.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
Porter, who spoke to Newsbeat as she waited, in costume, outside a screening of The Last Act, says she's been "super-hyped" for the cinema release.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
“To play it you have to do it as a team, and cinema isn’t cinema unless it’s watched in community, unless it’s shared.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
I’m on academic team, Latin team, and cinema club.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
