B-roll
Americannoun
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stock footage from film or digital libraries used to establish locale, atmosphere, etc., or to provide generic thematic video, such as for a category of television news story.
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video footage shot for a story, television show, or film, often by a secondary film crew, especially depicting building exteriors and used to establish the locale in which a film or show is set.
The actors all filmed in Toronto, but the show’s opening theme song played over B-roll of the New York skyline and a block of brownstones.
Etymology
Origin of B-roll
First recorded in 1980–85; cf. A-roll ( def. )
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.
Mostly, it’s B-roll of Melania stepping in and out of SUVs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2026
It showed B-roll shots of gleaming hospitals with futuristic-looking technology.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2025
She added: "It’s trite to call London a character, but as backdrop she’s looking fabulous in the B-roll."
From BBC ● May 22, 2024
A day I'll never forget was when Larry was getting B-roll of the Sewer Boys and he was just barking all of these very specific emotional beats.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2023
The B-roll of the run-down section of Underhill where Johnson lived runs onscreen.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
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.
