cinema
n. C / Un. a place where you go to watch movies on a very large screen. It can also mean the movie industry or the art of making films.
n. a theatre where films are shown for public entertainment; also refers to the film industry or the art of motion pictures.
We are going to the cinema to see the new action movie.
The local cinema offers discounted tickets on Tuesday nights to encourage more people to watch independent films.
While digital streaming has changed viewing habits, many critics argue that true cinema requires the shared physical experience of a darkened theatre and a massive projection.
Borrowed from French cinéma, clipping of cinématographe (term coined by the Lumière brothers in the 1890s), from Ancient Greek κίνημα (kínēma, “movement”) + γράφω (gráphō, “write, record”). Compare German Kino (“cinema”), ultimately from the same Greek source.
Countable when referring to the building; uncountable when referring to the art form or industry.
I watched a cinema last nightI watched a movie last nightLearners often confuse the place (cinema) with the medium (movie/film); you go to the cinema to watch a movie.