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Bollywood

American  
[bol-ee-wood] / ˈbɒl iˌwʊd /

noun

  1. the motion-picture industry of India, based in Bombay.

Bollywood British  
/ ˈbɒlɪˌwʊd /

noun

  1. informal

    1. the Indian film industry

    2. ( as modifier )

      a Bollywood star
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Bollywood

Blend of Bombay and Hollywood

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.

Her strong presence in Bollywood inspired the 1997 Cornershop hit Brimful of Asha.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Through the years, she was often compared to her elder sister - who was revered as the "nightingale" of Bollywood and died in 2022 - but Bhosle built a distinct identity.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

During the coronavirus pandemic, she rewatched all of the "Twilight" vampire romance films, which were released from 2008 to 2012, and Bollywood flicks from the 1990s.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Appropriate to a character who lives for being onscreen, “Bait” plays with the language of film — gritty procedural, a burst of Bollywood, romantic comedy — though not necessarily to the usual ends.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

“My family’s Egyptian. Everyone in Egypt loves Bollywood movies. They’re on TV all the time.”

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

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.