the act or process of installing Astroturf on a surface.
(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.
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
One of the tactics is "astroturfing" – or disguising an orchestrated campaign as a spontaneous up-swelling of public opinion.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2025
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
This appears to be an example of astroturfing, the practice of masking the identities of sponsors to make them seem to be grassroots participants and to hide financial connections.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2020
Rick became a pioneer of astroturfing, a new form of fake-grassroots messaging; David wrote poetry.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 3, 2019
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 Steele, Guy L.
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.
