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
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.
In Bengal, the form flourished in jatra - a rural, open-air spectacle of music, myth and melodrama that often rivalled cinema in reach, though not in rewards.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
“I think when you are making a film that is confronting one of the ultimate taboos in cinema, you’re going to have a tough time,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
The Price of the Vote documentary film, which aired on Thursday evening at a Budapest cinema and on YouTube, presents the results of a six-month investigation by independent filmmakers and reporters.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
The Aster, in Hollywood, grants members entry to its 36-seat cinema and outdoor pool, plus RSVPs to a calendar full of social events.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
So they went to the next cinema, a few hundred yards away around the corner, and did it again.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
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.
