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• Astroturfing
  Astroturfing

  noun

  the act or process of installing Astroturf on a surface.
• astroturfing
  astroturfing

  noun

  a PR tactic used in politics and advertising in which actors are paid to display overt and apparently spontaneous grassroots support for a particular product, policy, or event

Astroturfing

American  

[as-truh-turf-ing] / ˈæs trəˌtɜrf ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or process of installing Astroturf on a surface.

2. (usually lowercase) the deceptive tactic of simulating grassroots support for a product, cause, etc., undertaken by people or organizations with an interest in shaping public opinion.

   In some countries astroturfing is banned, and this includes sponsored blog posts.

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astroturfing British  

/ ˈæstrəʊˌtɜːfɪŋ /

noun

1. a PR tactic used in politics and advertising in which actors are paid to display overt and apparently spontaneous grassroots support for a particular product, policy, or event

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Usage

What does astroturfing mean? Astroturfing is a slang term for the act of faking the appearance of popular support for something, such as a cause or product. A person who does this can be called an astroturfer. These words come from Astroturf, the trademarked brand name for a type of artificial surface used for sports fields that’s supposed to look and feel like grass. (Astroturfing can also be used to refer to the process of covering a field with Astroturf. In this case, it’s often capitalized.)Example: One clue that orchestrated astroturfing is happening is that a lot of posts about a topic come from new accounts with usernames that look like they were randomly generated.

Other Word Forms

• astroturfer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Astroturfing

First recorded in 1970–75; Astroturf + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Astroturfing astroturfing

Astroturfing can make it look like a particular campaign was created by ordinary people, when in reality, it was made to support an organization that will benefit from the campaign.

From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2018

“It isn’t Astroturfing — they’re throwing seeds and fertilizer onto social media,” said Mr. Kelly.

From New York Times ● Oct. 9, 2017

“It looks like it has a bigger audience than it really does. It’s taking the concept of astroturfing into the digital age.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

“Money where your mouth is” marches, countering claims of astroturfing, could encourage marchers to publicly donate to a cause while QR codes could urge witnesses and bystanders to join in.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2025

This kind of activity is often referred to as "astroturfing" because it is designed to create the appearance of a grass-roots campaign.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2021

“A lot of this is being organized by a number of outside groups. There’s real concern in the district — this is a big deal — but there’s a lot of astroturfing, too.”

From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2017

It also set anybody defending Microsoft on the net for the accusation "You're just astroturfing!"

From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Guy L. Steele