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
Among its proposals are additional tax incentives to benefit independent films, support for independent cinemas, and the streaming tax.
—
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
The Cannes Film Festival expects robust attendance — especially compared to the strike and pandemic editions — as the Côte d’Azur’s main of event of cinema is once again the starting point of awards season.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025
Musicians will take the stage to perform the film score in synchronization with the original movie, presented in its entirety on large cinema screens.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
This is ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show for kids‘
Disruptive cinema screenings aren’t a new phenomenon.
—Issy Van Der Velde, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cinema
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Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
The Cannes Film Festival expects robust attendance — especially compared to the strike and pandemic editions — as the Côte d’Azur’s main of event of cinema is once again the starting point of awards season.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025
Musicians will take the stage to perform the film score in synchronization with the original movie, presented in its entirety on large cinema screens.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
This is ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show for kids‘
Disruptive cinema screenings aren’t a new phenomenon.
—Issy Van Der Velde, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 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 16 Apr. 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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