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.
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
With their mix of social realism, symbolism and pure escapism, the movies of 1939 embody the same themes that kept audiences flocking to the cinema and other forms of entertainment throughout the decade.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026
Melodrama doesn’t exactly have the most sterling reputation for discerning cinema viewers.
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026
“This film would not exist without the master of cinema, the great artist that is Denis Villeneuve,” Chalamet said.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026
And then he told me he was taking me to the cinema!
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
