cinema

American  

[sin-uh-muh] / ˈsɪn ə mə /

noun

1. movies collectively, as an art.

   During the Great Depression, cinema provided psychological comfort, an escape from the harsh realities of daily life.

2. Chiefly British. Also kinema movie theater.

   Do you know if there is a cinema near the British Museum?

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cinema British  

/ ˈsɪnɪmə, ˌsɪnɪˈmætɪk /

noun

1. 1. a place designed for the exhibition of films

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cinema seat

2. 1. the art or business of making films

   2. 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

Its tender story of daddy issues, sibling love and how streaming is ruining traditional cinema is totally relatable.

From Los Angeles Times

But average spending per traveller declined and cinema box office takings fell sharply, suggesting households remain selective about parting with money.

From BBC

For four days each year, it transforms this college town in the middle of Missouri into a fantasy land for lovers of nonfiction cinema, the art form this festival was founded to champion.

From The Wall Street Journal

Not only has Gyllenhaal taken the reins from cinema’s patriarchal collective, but she’s implemented a distinctly feminine gaze, as complex and fascinating as the social implications tucked away between the lines of Shelley’s original text.

From Salon

Thankfully for Rovere, director Alan J. Pakula would turn those humdrum parts of “All the President’s Men” into a gripping procedural just two years later, crafting a legendary piece of American cinema in the process.

From Salon

Related Words

• film
• movie house
• movie theater