film

American  

[film] / fɪlm /

noun

• films
  plural

1. a thin layer or coating.

   a film of grease on a plate.

2. a thin sheet of any material.

   a film of ice.

3. a thin skin or membrane.

   The whitish film over your eye is a cataract.

4. a delicate web of filaments or fine threads.

   The fabric embedded in the polyurethane is essentially a film of fiberglass.

5. a thin haze, blur, or mist.

   A pale film of drizzly twilight soon gave way to a dense fog.

6. Photography.

   1. a composition of plastic or similar material made into thin sheets or strips and coated with a light-sensitive emulsion, used for taking photographs.

   2. a strip or roll of this.

   3. the coating of emulsion on such a sheet or strip or on a photographic plate.

7. Movies.

   1. a strip of transparent material, usually cellulose triacetate, covered with a photographic emulsion and perforated along one or both edges, intended for the recording and reproduction of images.

   2. a similar perforated strip covered with an iron oxide emulsion magfilm, intended for the recording and reproduction of both images and sound.

   3. a movie; motion picture.

      We decided to stay home and watch a Kurosawa film.

8. Sometimes films

   1. movies collectively.

      Film is the quintessential storytelling medium of the 20th century.

   2. the movie industry, or its productions, operations, etc..

      He wants to get into films as a director.

   3. movies as a genre of art or entertainment.

      experimental film.

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verb (used with object)

• films,
  present (3rd person singular)
• filmed,
  past participle,  past
• filming
  present participle

1. to cover with a film, thin skin, or pellicle.

   A bloom of algae films the pond every summer.

2. Movies.

   1. to record in video format as a movie, with or without audio.

      We didn't know we were being filmed.

   2. to make a movie of.

      to film a novel.

verb (used without object)

• films,
  present (3rd person singular)
• filmed,
  past participle,  past
• filming
  present participle

1. to become covered by a film.

   The water filmed over with ice.

   Synonyms:

   veil, cloud, haze, mist

2. Movies.

   1. to be reproduced in video format as a movie, especially in a specified manner.

      This story films easily.

   2. to direct, make, or otherwise engage in the production of movies, TV shows, or other video content.

      They'll be filming here for the next six months.

film British  

/ fɪlm /

noun

1. 1. a sequence of images of moving objects photographed by a camera and providing the optical illusion of continuous movement when projected onto a screen

   2. a form of entertainment, information, etc, composed of such a sequence of images and shown in a cinema, etc

   3. ( as modifier )

      film techniques

2. a thin flexible strip of cellulose coated with a photographic emulsion, used to make negatives and transparencies

3. a thin coating or layer

4. a thin sheet of any material, as of plastic for packaging

5. a fine haze, mist, or blur

6. a gauzy web of filaments or fine threads

7. pathol an abnormally opaque tissue, such as the cornea in some eye diseases

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verb

1. 1. to photograph with a cine camera

   2. to make a film of (a screenplay, event, etc)

2. (often foll by over) to cover or become covered or coated with a film

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• refilm
  verb (used with object)
• filmlike
  adjective
• unfilmed
  adjective
• well-filmed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• films
  plural

Participles

• filming
  present
• filmed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• film
  simple
• films
  simple
• have filmed
  perfect
• has filmed
  perfect
• am filming
  progressive
• are filming
  progressive
• is filming
  progressive
• have been filming
  perfect progressive
• has been filming
  perfect progressive

Past

• filmed
  simple
• had filmed
  perfect
• was filming
  progressive
• were filming
  progressive
• had been filming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will film
  simple
• will have filmed
  perfect
• will be filming
  progressive
• will have been filming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of film

First recorded before 1000, in 1890–95 film for def. 6, and in 1900–05 film for def. 7; Middle English filme, Old English filmen membrane; akin to fell ⁴

Explanation

A film, also known as a "movie" or a "motion picture," is a series of moving images shown on a screen, usually with sound, that make up a story. Some people like to see new films at the theater as soon as they're released. You might pretend to be a fan of French films while secretly preferring animated films. The movie itself is a film, and you can also use the word to mean the photographic strip of plastic that runs through a camera and captures the film's images. It's also a verb, meaning to use such a camera: "Let's film a scene where you play with my cat!" The Old English root word is filmen, "membrane or thin skin."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

film films filmed filming

Moving back and forth in time, the film covers the writer’s life from his childhood in late-Habsburg Prague to his final illness, with Idan Weiss in the title role.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The film feels spooky in its prescience, but Ferrell and McKay were far from alone in noticing the culture was heading out of the cities.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

But I find “One Night Only” to be a far more interesting film because it doesn’t answer everything up front or take the blanket optimist’s route.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

So when Sunny Dancer, a film about a summer camp for young people affected by cancer, gave Ramsey seven weeks to experience teenage freedom, it was an opportunity to dive straight in.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

“Films that cinemas were trashing. If a theater shut down, we raided the basements. And occasionally, if we liked a film enough when we saw it, we’d have a...er...word with the projectionist about it.”

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Welcome to its new “AI Creator TV” channel, now available on the app’s streaming service and consisting exclusively of app-generated films and shows, along with commercials that feature “synthetic performers.”

From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026

Mr. Doherty writes that “the cameramen knew what they photographed would never be used in official films, but they did not stop cranking.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Imagine the highlight films coming this season with added strength and a maturing body.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The English actor, 36, will play Hogwarts professor Gilderoy Lockhart - who was portrayed by Sir Kenneth Branagh in the films.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

These men were appearing in films shown in the local theater, which was really just a thatch hut with wooden benches, a small television, and a VCR.

From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba

“No one would agree to filming or being filmed for almost 10 years. That’s a quarter of my life.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Although movie-goers saw him last year in "The Lost Bus," that was filmed after "The Rivals of Amziah King" wrapped.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

The film's famous final scene was filmed inside Shiregreen Working Men's Club.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

This is what happened in 2018, when a father and daughter were filmed being ejected from a Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Atlanta.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Accompanied by a CBS television crew that filmed the tour, she visited twelve countries, singing in concert halls, meeting heads of state, and making informal visits to schools, churches, and local organizations.

From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman

Despite zero filming, graphics or editing experience, they decided to document their journey on social media as Tastebuds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The property replied that it was prepared to welcome him, noting he could post content after the media exclusivity window, but filming public spaces was prohibited and filming private spaces required approval.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The process of playing Alice became easier as filming went on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

She talked to AFP from Winchester, near Southampton, where she was filming a new housing development.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

She’s asleep at her desk, and Darrell and a bunch of other kids shout and laugh over by the window, playing videos on their phones and filming themselves, too.

From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender

Related Words

• cinema
• flick
• footage
• motion picture
• picture
• show