film

USFILM/fɪlm/

Pluralfilms

Verbfilms, filming, filmed

8 meanings of film

Practice

1
a movienouncountable
A movie that you watch in a theater or at home.
Like turning the pages of a picture book so fast that the pictures seem to move.
We watched a funny film last night.
Her favorite film is about a talking dog.
UsageAmericans usually say movie. British people usually say film.
Similarmovie, picture, feature
2
record videoverbtransitive or intransitive
To record moving pictures of something with a camera.
They film every soccer game at our school.
He used his phone to film the birthday party.
Similarshoot, record, tape, video
3
movies as artnoununcountable
The art of making and watching movies, told through pictures shown to look like real motion.
She studies film at college.
He loves film and watches something new every week.
UsageSay she studies film, with no "a".
Similarcinema
Note
4
camera rollnouncountable or uncountable
A thin strip used inside a camera to capture pictures.
He loaded fresh film into the old camera.
This film works well in low light.
UsageWe say shoot on film and a roll of film.
Similarcelluloid
Oppositedigital
Note
5
thin layernouncountable or uncountable
A very thin layer that covers a surface.
Like the thin skin that forms on top of warm milk.
A thin film of oil floated on the water.
There was a film of dust on the shelf.
UsageWe say a film of dust or oil.
Similarlayer, coating, coat, sheen, skin
Note
6
nouncountable or uncountable
A thin sheet of plastic or something like it that bends easily, used mostly to wrap or cover things.
Peel the thin film off the screen of your new phone before you use it.
Mom covered the bowl of salad with clear film and put it in the fridge.
UsageWe say plastic film or cling film.
Similarwrap, sheeting
Note

Less common meanings

7
cover thinlyverbtransitive
To cover something with a thin layer, or to become covered with one.
Her eyes filmed over with tears during the sad song.
On cold nights, the puddles can film over with thin ice.
UsageWe say eyes film over with tears.
Similarcoat, cloud, mist, glaze
Note
8
spider threadnounarchaiccountable or uncountable
A thin thread, like one from a spider's web.
Her whip of cricket's bone, the lash of film.
c. 1591, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”Here, film means a very thin thread, like one from a spider's web.
Similarthread, strand, filament, wisp
Note

Practice

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

Origin

From Old English filmen, meaning "thin skin" or "membrane." It later came to mean a thin coating, and by the late 1800s the coated material used for photographs.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Film derives from Old English filmen, meaning thin skin or membrane. en.wiktionary.org
The word later acquired the meaning of a thin coating. en.wiktionary.org
By the late 1800s, film referred to coated material used for photographs. en.wikipedia.org