plural films
often attributive
1
a
: a thin skin or membranous covering : pellicle
b
: an abnormal growth on or in the eye
2
: a thin covering or coating
a film of ice
3
a
: an exceedingly thin layer : lamina
b(1)
: a thin flexible transparent sheet (as of plastic) used especially as a wrapping
(2)
: a thin sheet of cellulose acetate or nitrocellulose coated with a radiation-sensitive emulsion for taking photographs
4
a
: movie sense 1, motion picture
an award-winning film
film critics
The film will start in ten minutes.
b
: the process, art, or business of making movies : cinema sense 3, the movies
a career in film
She studied film in college.
filmed; filming; films
1
: to cover with or as if with a film
2
: to make a video recording of or from
film a scene
1
: to become covered or obscured with or as if with a film
2
: to make a video or movie
spent the afternoon filming in the park
They begin filming next week.
Examples of film in a Sentence
Noun
Have you bought any film for the camera?
We haven't had the film developed yet.
He's interested in making films about war.
We'll start the film at 10:00.
He studied film in college.
the protective film over a shark's eye
A film of ice covered the sidewalk.
Verb
Television news crew members came to film the interview.
She filmed the children playing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
The former couple met in Vancouver in 2004 on the set of the superhero film Fantastic Four.
—Georgia Slater, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
The Paper takes after The Office in never directly showing the crew filming the employees of the Toledo Truth Teller.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for film
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Since it's been so long since the first heist movie came out in 2001, Clooney revealed the upcoming film will definitely lean into that passage of time for the main characters.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
The former couple met in Vancouver in 2004 on the set of the superhero film Fantastic Four.
—Georgia Slater, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Verb
Chalamet also maintained that level of commitment while filming sequences that saw him in physical pain, such as when costar Kevin O'Leary (of Shark Tank fame) spanks him with a paddle in one pivotal moment.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
The Paper takes after The Office in never directly showing the crew filming the employees of the Toledo Truth Teller.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for film
Cite this Entry
“Film.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/film. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
film
1 of 2 noun1
: a thin skin or membrane
2
: a thin coating or layer
3
: a roll or strip of thin flexible transparent material coated with a chemical substance sensitive to light and used in taking pictures
4
film
2 of 2 verb1
: to cover or become covered with film
2
: to make a motion picture of or from
Medical Definition
film
noun1
a
: a thin skin or membranous covering : pellicle
b
: an abnormal growth on or in the eye
2
a
: an exceedingly thin layer : lamina
b
: a thin flexible transparent sheet of cellulose acetate or cellulose nitrate coated with a radiation-sensitive emulsion for taking photographs or making radiographs
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