broadcast
Americanverb (used with object)
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broadcasts,
present (3rd person singular)
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broadcast,
past participle, past
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broadcasted,
past participle, past
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broadcasting
present participle
-
to transmit (programs) from a radio or television station.
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to speak, perform, sponsor, or present on a radio or television program.
The president will broadcast his message on all stations tonight.
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to cast or scatter abroad over an area, as seed in sowing.
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to spread widely; disseminate.
She broadcast the good news all over town.
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to indicate unwittingly to another (one's next action); telegraph.
He broadcast his punch and the other man was able to parry it.
verb (used without object)
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broadcasts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
broadcast,
past participle, past
-
broadcasted,
past participle, past
-
broadcasting
present participle
-
to transmit programs or signals from a radio or television station.
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to make something known widely; disseminate something.
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to speak, perform, sponsor, or present all or part of a radio or television program.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcasts every Saturday on our local station.
noun
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broadcasts
plural
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something that is broadcast.
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a single radio or television program.
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the broadcasting of radio or television messages, speeches, etc.
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a single period of broadcasting
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a method of sowing by scattering seed.
adjective
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(of programs) transmitted from a radio or television station.
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of or relating to broadcasting.
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cast abroad or all over an area, as seed scattered widely.
adverb
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so as to reach the greatest number of people by radio or television.
The vital news was sent broadcast to inform the entire nation.
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so as to be cast abroad over an area.
seed sown broadcast.
verb
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to transmit (announcements or programmes) on radio or television
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(intr) to take part in a radio or television programme
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(tr) to make widely known throughout an area
to broadcast news
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(tr) to scatter (seed, etc) over an area, esp by hand
noun
-
-
a transmission or programme on radio or television
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( as modifier )
a broadcast signal
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-
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the act of scattering seeds
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( as modifier )
the broadcast method of sowing
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adjective
adverb
Usage
What does broadcast mean? Broadcast means to transmit a television or radio program, as in The network broadcasted cartoons every Saturday morning. In this sense a broadcast can be a single TV or radio program, as in the 6 o’clock news broadcast. Broadcast also means to deliver a message on a transmitted program, as in The police broadcasted the press release on the evening news. More generally, broadcast means to spread something widely, as in She broadcasted her recent wedding engagement to all of her family members. Related to this sense, a broadcast can be news or something similar that you share widely, like your broadcast to your classmates about the A you got on the test. Broadcast also means to mistakenly make a next move obvious, as in The boxer broadcasted his punch with a flashy windup. Example: Coverage of the awards ceremony was the leading story on every news broadcast.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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broadcastsimple
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broadcastssimple
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have broadcastperfect
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have broadcastedperfect
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has broadcastperfect
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has broadcastedperfect
-
am broadcastingprogressive
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are broadcastingprogressive
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is broadcastingprogressive
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have been broadcastingperfect progressive
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has been broadcastingperfect progressive
Past
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broadcastsimple
-
broadcastedsimple
-
had broadcastperfect
-
had broadcastedperfect
-
was broadcastingprogressive
-
were broadcastingprogressive
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had been broadcastingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of broadcast
First recorded in 1760–70; originally, broad (adverb) + cast, past participle of cast ( def. )
Explanation
To broadcast is to air a program, especially on TV or radio. It also means to tell people about something. If you paint your one true love’s name on your car, you broadcast your feelings to the whole world! The word broadcast used to have to do with spreading seed, but now it refers to spreading information. It can be a noun or verb — if you turn on the radio, you're hearing a broadcast, and the station is broadcasting that show. You don’t have to be in a studio to broadcast, though. Any time you let a lot of people know about something (whether they like it or not), you broadcast. When information is broadcast, it becomes widely known.
Vocabulary lists containing broadcast
Dirty Words: The Language of Gardening
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Journalism
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Academy Awards, List 2
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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:
Crews broadcast live for 12 hours a day while shoppers fire off comments and questions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Most of the exposure for the broadcast networks on the Emmys in recent years has come through tributes to classic shows and the “In Memoriam” segments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
The inquiry heard that following the broadcast of a Panorama documentary in 2000 Ware received threats believed to be from the Real IRA.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
BBC Scotland has asked the Scottish government for a response to Hunter's comments, which were broadcast after the health secretary's interview.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
He is waiting for a special radio broadcast, a broadcast so important that the whole school has been gathered to listen.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
They press vinyl to sell at shows, and it gets into the hands of disc jockeys at ever-larger radio stations with an increasing number of watts behind their broadcasts.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
While unedited video feeds of those scenes circulated internationally, prime-time broadcasts within China relied on carefully edited montages, highlighting the wave at the cabin door, formal tarmac greetings and archival handshakes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The incident prompted South Korea to resume anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts along the border.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
The company could reset its content-spending plans, which would take time; license live-sports broadcasts; or return to mergers and acquisitions after abandoning its bid for Warner Bros.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
A subordinate tells Volkheimer there are reports of resistance broadcasts washing out of the Leopoldstadt.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
It’s hard to call it media because it’s not mass broadcasted, but this is content that is being consumed.
From Slate ● Mar. 22, 2026
Last year, Kardashian Barker broadcasted her love for breast milk, yet again, after she revealed that she “pounded” a glass of her own milk to heal from sickness.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2025
It is believed the last time people ventured on to Heard Island was in 2016, when a group of amateur radio enthusiasts broadcasted from there with permission of the Australian government.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2025
The Kraken’s regular-season opener and finale are set to air on ESPN, part of 13 nationally broadcasted games.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2023
He, fortunately, understood English, recognized the discourse as that which Shaw had broadcasted the previous evening, realized the significance of what had happened, and sent a letter to the medical press about it.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
When CBS’ “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan asked whether broadcasting Hasan’s execution could encourage radicalization by turning him into a martyr, Mullin offered a blunt response: “No one has to watch it.”
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Professional football would not see the last of him, however, as he went on to do radio and TV broadcasting for programs such as The NFL Today, Monday Night Football and SportsCenter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Having taken control of a radio station, the TPF's "Public and Military Relations Department" is broadcasting a message on a loop calling on the people of Mekelle to remain calm and united.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
Before carving out a career in sports broadcasting and voice acting, Horton was just a teenaged high school basketball reject.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
In the cafeteria at school, Nora and the other broadcasting club kids gave me dirty looks when I walked up to their table.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
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.
