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
- cinematic adjective
- cinematically adverb
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.
The craft is part of what gives cinema its merit.
From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026
The cast announcement was made by Warner Bros at this year's CinemaCon presentation, which brings together studios and cinema executives for a first look at upcoming productions.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
Khan wrote that Bhosle was "a talent that will outlive many" and that her "voice has been one of the pillars of Indian cinema and will continue to resonate world over for centuries to come".
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
She brought her "Sabrinawood" concept to the stage -- a sort of love letter to cinema -- which featured appearances by big-screen stars such as Sam Elliott, Susan Sarandon and Will Ferrell.
From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026
We returned to the the city talking of nothing more than a famous cinema actress who had just married, and the mosquito bites we got by the river.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
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.
