DictionaryAI

cinema

noun
SIN-uh-muh/ˈsɪn.ə.mə/SIN-i-muh/ˈsɪn.ɪ.mə/

Pluralcinemas

4 meanings of cinema

Practice

  1. 1
    nouncountable or uncountable
    Films as a whole, or filmmaking thought of as an art.

    She went to college to study cinema.

    Adding sound to movies changed cinema forever.

    UsageSay study cinema, with no the.

    Similarfilm, filmmaking, movies

  2. 2
    movie theaternouncountable
    A building where people go to watch movies.

    We met outside the cinema ten minutes before the movie started.

    Our town's old cinema closed last year, so now we drive to the mall.

    UsageSay go to the cinema. Americans often say go to the movies.

    Similarmovies, pictures

  3. 3
    film industrynoununcountable
    The business of making movies.

    He wants to work in cinema when he grows up.

    The war hurt Italian cinema, and very few movies were made.

    Similarfilm

    Note

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    nounslanguncountable
    Something on screen, or an event, that is so good or exciting it feels like a great film.

    That last scene gave me chills. This is cinema.

    When the hero made that final jump, my brother yelled, "Now that's cinema!"

    UsagePeople say now that's cinema! about a great scene.

    Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of cinema apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from French cinéma, short for cinématographe, a word made from Greek words meaning "movement" and "write, record".

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts