film
gb/fˈɪlm/ us/fˈɪlm/
A2
English
~ 800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
A movie or motion picture
A story shown in a cinema or on TV, made of moving pictures.
Usage pattern:
to watch [a film]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'film' (UK English) with 'movie' (US English) and think they are different things, but they mean the same.
Synonyms
movie (More common in American English; otherwise the same meaning.)
|
motion picture (More formal and less common in everyday speech.)
Antonyms
live performance (An entertainment performed in real time in front of an audience, not recorded.)
Collocations
watch a film
|make a film
|film industry
|film director
|film festival
Themes
entertainment
|media
|arts
|arts_entertainment
|communication
Examples
- We watched a romantic film last night.
- The film won several awards at the festival.
- He is working on a new science fiction film.
- That film was based on a true story.
- She studied film at university.
Learner examples
- I like this film.
- The film is very funny.
- We saw a film at the cinema.
- This is my favorite film.
- The film is about a young girl.
Verb
B1
action
2
To record with a camera
To use a camera to make a movie or video.
Usage pattern:
to film [something/someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'film' as a verb with 'shoot' in photography, which can also mean to record video but is more common in professional contexts.
Synonyms
record (General term for capturing audio or video; less specific to moving images.)
Antonyms
erase (To remove recorded content so it no longer exists.)
Collocations
film a scene
|film an interview
|film on location
|film live
Themes
media
|arts
|technology
|arts_entertainment
|communication
Examples
- They filmed the concert for television.
- She is filming her new documentary in Africa.
- We filmed the children playing in the park.
Learner examples
- I will film my trip.
- He films his dog every day.
- They filmed the game.
- She will film the party.
Noun
B2
entity
3
Thin layer covering a surface
A thin layer of something on the surface of something else.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this meaning with movies, especially when reading without context.
Synonyms
coating (General term for any covering layer; not necessarily as thin as 'film'.)
Antonyms
bare surface (A surface without any covering layer.)
Collocations
thin film
|film of dust
|film of oil
Themes
science
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- A thin film of ice covered the pond.
- The glass had a greasy film on it.
- There was a film of dust on the table.
Learner examples
- There is a film of ice on the lake.
- I see a film of oil on the water.
- The table has a film of dust.
Noun
technical
B2
entity
4
Photographic recording material
Special material used in cameras to take pictures before digital cameras existed.
Common mistake:
Learners may think 'film' here refers to movies, but it means the physical material used to capture images.
Synonyms
celluloid (Refers specifically to early types of photographic film material.)
Collocations
roll of film
|load film
|develop film
Themes
photography
|technology
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- I need to buy another roll of film for my camera.
- The photographer developed the film in a darkroom.
- Old films can be damaged by heat and light.
Learner examples
- I put new film in the camera.
- He develops the film in his lab.
- The old camera uses film.
Grammar
Dictionary form
film
IPA
GB/fˈɪlm/
US/fˈɪlm/
Syllables & stress
film (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (film)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: film
- Plural: film, films
Verb
- Base: film
- 3rd Person Singular: films
- Present Participle: filming
- Past: filmed
Word family
Forms
films
noun
filming
verb
filmed
verb
Core family
filmmaker
noun B1
Related words
filmmaking
noun
Advanced or less common
filmic
adjective
filmography
noun
Expressions
film crew
1/fˈɪlm kɹˈu/
fixed phrase
Group making a movie/video
The group of people who work together to make a movie or TV show.
Examples
- The film crew set up cameras around the stage.
- She worked as part of a small film crew in Paris.
film set
1/fˈɪlm sˈɛt/
fixed phrase
Place where movie scenes are filmed
The place where scenes for a movie are filmed, often made to look like another place.
Examples
- Visitors were not allowed on the film set during shooting.
- They built an entire street on the film set.
short film
1/ʃˈɔɹt fˈɪlm/
fixed phrase
Movie under 40 minutes long
A movie that is much shorter than normal movies, often less than 40 minutes long.
Examples
- They entered their short film into the festival.
- The director became famous after making a short film.
feature film
1/fˈit͡ʃɚ fˈɪlm/
fixed phrase
full-length main movie
A long movie that is the main one people come to see.
Examples
- His first feature film was released last year.
- The director’s first feature film won several awards.
- They are shooting a new feature film in New Zealand.
- They are shooting a new feature film in Paris.