hype
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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hypes,
present (3rd person singular)
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hyped,
past participle, past
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hyping
present participle
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to stimulate, excite, or agitate (usually followed byup ).
She was hyped up at the thought of owning her own car.
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to create interest in by flamboyant or dramatic methods; promote or publicize showily.
a promoter who knows how to hype a prizefight.
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to intensify (advertising, promotion, or publicity) by ingenious or questionable claims, methods, etc. (usually followed byup ).
noun
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exaggerated publicity; hoopla.
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an ingenious or questionable claim, method, etc., used in advertising, promotion, or publicity to intensify the effect.
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a swindle, deception, or trick.
noun
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Disparaging and Offensive. a person who is addicted to a drug, especially one who uses a hypodermic needle.
noun
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a deception or racket
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intensive or exaggerated publicity or sales promotion
media hype
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the person or thing so publicized
verb
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to market or promote (a product) using exaggerated or intensive publicity
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to falsify or rig (something)
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(in the pop-music business) to buy (copies of a particular record) in such quantity as to increase its ratings in the charts
noun
verb
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to inject oneself with a drug
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(tr) to stimulate artificially or excite
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hypesimple
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hypessimple
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have hypedperfect
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has hypedperfect
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am hypingprogressive
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are hypingprogressive
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is hypingprogressive
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have been hypingperfect progressive
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has been hypingperfect progressive
Past
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hypedsimple
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had hypedperfect
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was hypingprogressive
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were hypingprogressive
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had been hypingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hype1
An Americanism dating back to 1820–30, in sense “to trick, swindle,” of uncertain origin; subsequent senses perhaps by reanalysis as a shortening of hyperbole
Origin of hype2
First recorded in 1920–25; shortening of hypodermic; cf. hypo 1
Explanation
As a noun, hype means extravagant claims about a person or product. All the hype about a miraculous new kind of mop might influence you to buy one, but after trying it out you'll realize it's just a mop. Experts speculate that the word hype may be a back formation of hyperbole, or it may come from hyper — old-fashioned slang for a person who swindled someone. As a verb, to hype something is to blatantly promote it. If you hype your favorite restaurant enough, your friends will finally try it. If they all hate it, though, they might never listen to you again!
Vocabulary lists containing hype
The 57 Bus
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Why We Fly
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Chomp
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Lazard portfolio manager Bertrand Cliquet says infrastructure companies are worth more than the AI hype sometimes linked to them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
For others, they are merely another vehicle for tech firms to hype up their powerful models and compete with rivals.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Driven by social media hype and a growing distrust of public health guidance, consumer demand for experimental peptides has exploded over the last decade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“All this hype for PLFs I think has the potential to hook casual and infrequent cinemagoers into becoming lovers and enthusiasts of cinema,” Weaver said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
Was West Indian Archie, I began to wonder, bluffing a hype on me?
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Probably no company hypes the tech-boss-as-hero ethos as unapologetically as Palantir.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026
On her Instagram, Knowles hypes her daughters’ magazine covers, album sales and even their nonmusic ventures, such as Beyoncé’s Cécred haircare line and her SirDavis whiskey brand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2024
Hynes: When you see their huddles, like pregame stuff it just hypes you up, and you're just like, "Yeah, that's a real family."
From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2024
The fixture hypes itself and its intense rivalry has meant 40,000 tickets have been sold.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2024
Sails hypes the crowd up with a pregame speech that is straight of a wrestling promo.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 30, 2023
The biggest breaks, which can also cover coins and bullion, livestream around midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, hyped up like parties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Kimi Antonelli started his Formula 1 career in 2025 hyped as the next generational talent - but did not live up to that billing in his maiden season.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
A US review panel on Thursday recommended loosening restrictions on the much hyped peptide BPC-157, voting that specialized pharmacies be allowed to produce it despite alarm bells from medical experts over safety concerns.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Before the game, he strutted around, at one point even grabbing Dalton Rushing, decked in full catcher’s gear, to get hyped.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
On the way to the hotel, all the girls are hyped to get a little slice of summer, even though Old Man Winter has already arrived.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
As it is, he’s spending his time hyping this deal as the conclusion of a narrative that casts him as a big hero.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
They said the focus likely will be on companies hyping AI businesses without having actual technology advantages, using overseas operations to skirt domestic regulations, or flouting Beijing’s orders against price wars.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
I’m going to be hyping up some people that maybe you’ve heard of, or maybe you haven’t heard of.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
It seems as though everyone is hyping up the conclusion to the Scottish Premiership title race.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
“Yeah, yeah, yeah—here we go, here we go,” he chants like he’s a rapper and moves around the stage hyping the crowd.
From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
