1
a
: motion picture
—usually used attributively
b
: a motion-picture theater
2
a
: movies
especially
: the film industry
b
: the art or technique of making motion pictures
Examples of cinema in a Sentence
a student of French cinema
We drove by the cinema to see what was playing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Taiwanese cinema has lofty global ambitions, as evidenced by the deployment of the country’s biggest stars and the presentation of international co-production plans at Hong Kong Filmart this week.
—
Mathew Scott, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2025
From the very beginnings of filmmaking, with Charlie Chaplin finding fame during the silent era through the use of miming, cinema has relied on more than just sound.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2025
China’s distribution system usually entails films being made available to all Chinese cinemas simultaneously, with no efforts at audience segmentation.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
Presented by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in the film’s iconic finale, this medal appears in one of cinema’s most memorable moments, set to John Williams' 'The Throne Room' march.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cinema
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Mathew Scott, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2025
From the very beginnings of filmmaking, with Charlie Chaplin finding fame during the silent era through the use of miming, cinema has relied on more than just sound.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2025
China’s distribution system usually entails films being made available to all Chinese cinemas simultaneously, with no efforts at audience segmentation.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
Presented by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in the film’s iconic finale, this medal appears in one of cinema’s most memorable moments, set to John Williams' 'The Throne Room' march.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cinema
Cite this Entry
“Cinema.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cinema. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cinema
noun
cin·e·ma
ˈsin-ə-mə 
1
a
: movie sense 2a
a cinema director
b
: a theater for showing movies
went to the cinema
2
a
: the business of making movies
worked in cinema
b
: the art or technique of making movies
a student of French cinema
cinematic
adjective
ˌsin-ə-ˈmat-ik
cinematically
adverb
-i-k(ə-)lē
Etymology
derived from French cinématographe "motion picture," from Greek kinēma "movement" and graphe "picture," from kinein "to move" — related to kinetic
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