film
[noun]
Synonyms:
- movie, flick (slang), motion picture
- layer, coating, covering, dusting, membrane, skin, tissue
[verb]
Synonyms:
- photograph, shoot, take, video, videotape

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English Thesaurus: film, motion picture, blockbuster, flick, documentary, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. film¹ S1 W1 /fɪlm/ noun
[Language: Old English; Origin: filmen 'thin skin']

1. [countable] a story that is told using sound and moving pictures, shown at a cinema or on television Synonym : movie American English:
Have you seen any good films recently?
film about
a film about a young dancer

2. [uncountable] moving pictures of real events that are shown on television or at a cinema:
newsreel film
the race to be first with film footage (=pictures) of news events

3. [uncountable] the work of making films, considered as an art or a business:
I’m interested in photography and film.
the film industry
a background in film and animation

4. [uncountable and countable] the thin plastic used in a camera for taking photographs or recording moving pictures:
I shot five rolls of film on vacation.
record/capture/preserve something on film
The whole incident was recorded on film.

5. [singular] a very thin layer of liquid, powder etc on the surface of something
film of
a film of oil on the surface of the water
⇒ clingfilm

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. film² verb [intransitive and transitive]
to use a camera to record a story or real events so that they can be shown in the cinema or on television:
The love scenes are sensitively filmed.
She’s in South Africa filming a documentary for the BBC.
a thriller filmed entirely on location in Washington
—filming noun [uncountable]:
Filming starts in October.
film over phrasal verb
if your eyes film over, they become covered with a thin layer of liquid

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

Film4
a UK digitalTV station that shows films

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

film
noun
I. movie
ADJ. long | short | exciting, good, interesting | successful | awful, bad, boring | epic | violent She thought the film far too violent to show to children.
X-rated | silent | black-and-white | low-budget | Hollywood, independent | television, video | adventure, children's, comedy, documentary, feature, gangster, horror, pornographic
VERB + FILM see, watch | go to (see), take sb to (see) We went to an awful film last night.
direct, make, produce, shoot She makes children's films. The film was shot on location in Kenya.
take film taken by security cameras
cut, edit The film was heavily edited for screening on television.
distribute, release, screen, show The film was finally released after weeks of protest by religious groups.
ban, censor
FILM + VERB be on, show There's an interesting film on at the local cinema.
come out, open, premiere The film came out last week.
be based on sth a film based on the novel by Charles Potter
be called sth, be entitled sth a film entitled ‘Bitter Moon’
capture sth The film manages to capture the mood of the times.
contain sth, include sth The film contains explicit scenes of violence.
depict sth, present sth, represent sth, show sth The film depicts immense courage amid the horrors of war.
tell sth This film tells the remarkable story of a disabled actor.
feature sb, star sb The film stars Nicole Kidman as a nightclub singer.
record sth a film recording the film) to see who the music was by. | critic | buff, fan | premiere | censor, censorship | screenplay, script | music, score, soundtrack | narrative | scene | stunt He was killed when a film stunt went wrong.
poster | studio | set They built a massive film set of an airport.
props | adaptation, version the film version of the best-selling novel
classic the film classic ‘Fantasia’
documentary, drama | genre | clip, footage, sequence | report The news always contains several film reports.
series the ‘Star Wars’ film series
archives, library | business, company, industry | mogul Tyrannical Hollywood film moguls ruled their stars' lives.
distributor | making, production | festival | show | awards | camera, equipment, projector, recorder | rights The scramble for the film rights to her next novel has already begun.
school, student
PREP. in a/the ~ There is a great car chase in the film.
on ~ They captured the incident on film.
~ about a film about Queen Victoria
~ of They've just started shooting a film of the novel.
PHRASES the beginning/end of the film, be in films (= work in the film industry), a film with subtitles, the screening/showing of a film

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

film
II. used for taking photographs
ADJ. black-and-white, colour | fast Fast film would be best for such action shots.
35 millimetre, etc.
QUANT. length, reel, roll a roll of 35 millimetre film
VERB + FILM load, put in | remove, take out | rewind | develop, first powered flight
deal with sth a film dealing with old age process I get my films developed | open The film opens with a bird's-eye shot of London.
end
FILM + NOUN crew, director, editor, maker, people, producer, team, unit, writer The film has plenty of what film people call ‘bankability’.
world | actor, actress, legend, star | part, role | career, debut, work | credits His film credits (= the films he has made) as director include ‘Mood Music’ and ‘Lies’. We stayed for the film credits (= the names of people involved in the making of a at a local shop.
expose In the darkroom they found that only half the film had been exposed.
splice He spliced the two lengths of film together.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

film
III. thin layer of a substance/material
ADJ. fine, thin
VERB + FILM be covered in/with The books were covered in a thin film of dust.
PREP. ~ of There was a fine film of sweat on her forehead.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

film
verb
ADV. secretly The controversial experiment involved secretly filming a group of children.
on location The serial was filmed on location in Italy.
PHRASES beautifully filmed fast-paced, well acted and beautifully filmed in the Blue Ridge Mountains

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

film

watch a film
He stayed in and watched a film on TV.
see a film
We saw a good film last night at the cinema.
appear in a film
She once appeared in a film with Al Pacino.
star in a film (=be one of the main characters in a film)
Robert Mitchum starred in a film called 'River of No Return' with Marilyn Monroe.
direct a film
The film was directed by Jean-Luc Godard.
edit a film
The film was edited using the latest digital technology.
make/shoot a film
Sutton has been making a film for Australian television.
show/screen a film
The film is being shown in cinemas all across the country.
distribute a film
Warner Bros became the first major studio to distribute its films over the Internet.
a film stars/features somebody
The film starred Brad Pitt.
a film is released/comes out (=it is made available for people to see)
The film is due to come out in May.
a film is showing (also a film is on British English) (=it is being shown at a cinema)
The film is on at the Odeon Cinema.
a horror/adventure/war film
He likes watching horror films.
a cowboy/gangster etc film
John Wayne was best-known for his roles in cowboy films.
a feature film (=a full-length film shown in the cinema)
Shane Meadows’ first feature film was 'TwentyFourSeven'.
a documentary film
He has just completed a documentary film about Thomas Jefferson.
an independent film (=a film made by a small film company)
Young directors began making small independent films.
a foreign-language film (=a film in a language that is not the audience’s native language)
Foreign-language films seldom do well at the box office.
a low-budget film
He’s currently producing his own low-budget film.
a big-budget film
a big-budget film aimed at the mass market
a silent film (=made in the time before films had sound)
a star of silent films
the film industry
Scorsese is a highly respected figure in the film industry.
a film company/studio (=a company that produces films)
a European film company trying to compete with the major Hollywood studios
a film studio (=a special building where films are made)
Many of the scenes were shot in a film studio.
a film actor/star
John Voight, the American film star, is perhaps best known for his Oscar winning performance in 'Midnight Cowboy'.
a film director
This year’s festival includes a tribute to the French film director Bertrand Tavernier.
a film producer (=someone who controls the preparation of a film)
British film producer Alexander Korda decided to make a movie about Vienna.
a film maker (=someone who makes films, especially as a director)
He is one of several exciting young film makers.
a film soundtrack (=the recorded music for a film)
The film’s soundtrack was composed by Ennio Morricone.
film music
In 'La Strada', Nino Rota demonstrates the poetic power of film music.
a film festival
The Berlin Film Festival attracted more than 400 films from around the world.
a film premiere (=the first showing of a film)
Film premieres tend to be glamorous occasions.
a film crew/unit (=a group of people working together to make a film)
The film crew are making a documentary about village life.
a film camera
The company produces digital film cameras.
a film buff (=someone who is interested in films and knows a lot about them)
Film buffs will enjoy reading 'The 100 Best Movies of All Time'.
a film critic
The review was written by 'The Daily Telegraph’s' film critic.
a film school
He graduated from film school in 1998.
film studies
She’s studying for a diploma in film studies.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

film especially British English, movie especially American English a series of images that tell a story and are shown in a cinema or on television:
What’s your favourite movie?
It won the award for best foreign film.
a made-for-TV movie
motion picture formal (also picture) a film – used especially by people who make films or by critics:
a major Hollywood motion picture
Tell us about your latest picture.
blockbuster informal a very successful film:
Steven Spielberg’s latest Hollywood blockbuster
flick informal a film – a very informal use:
an action flick
documentary a film that gives detailed information and facts about a particular subject:
a documentary on the rain forest
feature film a film made to be shown in cinemas:
The book was later made into a full-length feature film starring Sean Penn.
comedy a film intended to make people laugh:
Monroe appeared in a number of comedies.
romantic comedy (also romcom British English informal) a film about two people who are in love, which is intended to make the people who watch it feel happy:
‘Notting Hill’ is a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
thriller an exciting film, especially about murder or serious crimes:
‘The Birds’ is a classic Hitchcock thriller.
film noir a film that shows strong feelings of fear or evil and whose characters are often immoral, or these films in general:
‘The Big Sleep’ is a classic Hollywood film noir.
action film/movie a film that has lots of fighting, explosions etc:
Stallone’s latest action movie
horror film/movie a frightening film about ghosts, murders etc:
She loves watching old horror movies.
western a film with cowboys in it:
John Wayne is famous for making westerns.
science fiction film/movie (also sci-fi film/movie informal) a film about imaginary events in the future or in outer space:
‘2001’ is probably the most famous sci-fi movie ever made.
gangster film/movie a film about violent criminals
silent film/movie an old film without any sound:
The 1920s were the golden age of silent movies.
an independent film/movie a film made by a small film company
animated film/movie/cartoon a film with characters that are drawn or made using a computer:
One of his first animated films was ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’.
anime /ˈænɪmeɪ, -mə/ a type of Japanese animated film, which often has a science fiction story:
Miyazaki’s anime film ‘Spirited Away’ became an international success.
an anime character
CGI the use of computers to create characters and images in a film:
The film uses CGI.
Disney’s latest CGI movie
short a short film, usually shown before a longer movie in the cinema:
an animated short
trailer a series of short scenes from a film or programme, shown in order to advertise it in a cinema, on television etc:
We had to sit through all the trailers.
actor a man or woman who acts in a film:
a previously unknown actor
Brando was one of Hollywood’s greatest actors.
actress a woman who acts in a film. Women who appear in films or plays usually prefer to be called actors:
She was the actress who played Scarlet O'Hara in ‘Gone with the Wind’.
star a famous actor or actress:
He looked liked a movie star.
a hotel which was used by the stars
director the person who tells the actors and actresses in a film what to do:
The director of the film is Quentin Tarantino.
producer the person who makes the arrangements for a film to be made and controls the budget
film/movie crew the people operating the camera, lights etc who help the director make a film

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

short not long:
I lived in Tokyo for a short time.
Smokers have a shorter life expectancy than non-smokers.
brief especially written lasting only for a short time. Brief is more formal than short, and is used especially in written English:
The President will make a brief visit to Seattle today.
He coached Hingis for a brief period in the 1990s.
quick [only before noun] taking a short time to do something:
I had a quick look at the map.
He had a quick shower and then went out.
short-lived lasting only for a short time – used especially when someone wishes that a good situation had been able to last for longer:
short-lived success
The ceasefire was short-lived.
a short-lived romance
short-lived optimism about the economy
fleeting lasting only for an extremely short time – used especially when someone wishes that something had been able to last for longer:
a fleeting visit
a fleeting smile
She caught a fleeting glimpse of him.
a fleeting moment of happiness
a fleeting thought
momentary lasting for a very short time – used especially about feelings or pauses:
There was a momentary pause in the conversation.
The momentary panic ended when he found his two-year-old son waiting happily outside the store.
passing [only before noun] lasting only for a short time – used especially when people are only interested in something or mention something for a short time:
passing fashions
He made only a passing reference to war.
It’s just a passing phase (=it will end soon).
ephemeral formal lasting only for a short time, and ending quickly like everything else in this world:
Beauty is ephemeral.
the ephemeral nature of our existence
His wealth proved to be ephemeral.
not very tall quite short. This phrase sounds more gentle than saying that someone is short:
She wasn’t very tall – maybe about 1.60 m.
small short and with a small body:
My mother was a small woman.
The girl was quite small for her age (=smaller than other girls of the same age).
petite used about a woman who is attractively short and thin:
She was a petite woman with blonde hair.
stocky used about a boy or man who is short, heavy, and strong:
Harry was stocky and middle-aged.
dumpy short and fat:
a dumpy girl with red hair
diminutive formal literary very short or small – used especially in descriptions in novels:
a diminutive figure dressed in black
stubby stubby fingers or toes are short and thick:
the baby’s stubby little fingers
film especially British English, movie especially American English a series of images that tell a story and are shown in a cinema or on television:
What’s your favourite movie?
It won the award for best foreign film.
a made-for-TV movie
motion picture formal (also picture) a film – used especially by people who make films or by critics:
a major Hollywood motion picture
Tell us about your latest picture.
blockbuster informal a very successful film:
Steven Spielberg’s latest Hollywood blockbuster
flick informal a film – a very informal use:
an action flick
documentary a film that gives detailed information and facts about a particular subject:
a documentary on the rain forest
feature film a film made to be shown in cinemas:
The book was later made into a full-length feature film starring Sean Penn.
comedy a film intended to make people laugh:
Monroe appeared in a number of comedies.
romantic comedy (also romcom British English informal) a film about two people who are in love, which is intended to make the people who watch it feel happy:
‘Notting Hill’ is a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
thriller an exciting film, especially about murder or serious crimes:
‘The Birds’ is a classic Hitchcock thriller.
film noir a film that shows strong feelings of fear or evil and whose characters are often immoral, or these films in general:
‘The Big Sleep’ is a classic Hollywood film noir.
action film/movie a film that has lots of fighting, explosions etc:
Stallone’s latest action movie
horror film/movie a frightening film about ghosts, murders etc:
She loves watching old horror movies.
western a film with cowboys in it:
John Wayne is famous for making westerns.
science fiction film/movie (also sci-fi film/movie informal) a film about imaginary events in the future or in outer space:
‘2001’ is probably the most famous sci-fi movie ever made.
gangster film/movie a film about violent criminals
silent film/movie an old film without any sound:
The 1920s were the golden age of silent movies.
an independent film/movie a film made by a small film company
animated film/movie/cartoon a film with characters that are drawn or made using a computer:
One of his first animated films was ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’.
anime /ˈænɪmeɪ, -mə/ a type of Japanese animated film, which often has a science fiction story:
Miyazaki’s anime film ‘Spirited Away’ became an international success.
an anime character
CGI the use of computers to create characters and images in a film:
The film uses CGI.
Disney’s latest CGI movie
trailer a series of short scenes from a film or programme, shown in order to advertise it in a cinema, on television etc:
We had to sit through all the trailers.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲