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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

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Etymology

Origin of Astroturfing

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

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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

“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

Lead researcher Moustafa Ayad calls the practice an example of "astroturfing" - an online operation involving multiple accounts that falsely gives something the impression of wider grassroots support.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2022

Robert Brulle, a visiting professor at Brown University who researches climate denial and misinformation, said the campaign at the ports is an example of why astroturfing can be so effective.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2021

If this isn’t technically astroturfing, it’s at least astroturf-adjacent.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2018

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

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