broadcast

American  

[brawd-kast, -kahst] / ˈbrɔdˌkæst, -ˌkɑst /

verb (used with object)

• broadcasts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• broadcast,
  past participle,  past
• broadcasted,
  past participle,  past
• broadcasting
  present participle

1. to transmit (programs) from a radio or television station.

2. to speak, perform, sponsor, or present on a radio or television program.

   The president will broadcast his message on all stations tonight.

3. to cast or scatter abroad over an area, as seed in sowing.

4. to spread widely; disseminate.

   She broadcast the good news all over town.

5. 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)

• broadcasts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• broadcast,
  past participle,  past
• broadcasted,
  past participle,  past
• broadcasting
  present participle

1. to transmit programs or signals from a radio or television station.

2. to make something known widely; disseminate something.

3. 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

• broadcasts
  plural

1. something that is broadcast.

2. a single radio or television program.

3. the broadcasting of radio or television messages, speeches, etc.

4. a single period of broadcasting

5. a method of sowing by scattering seed.

adjective

1. (of programs) transmitted from a radio or television station.

2. of or relating to broadcasting.

3. cast abroad or all over an area, as seed scattered widely.

adverb

1. so as to reach the greatest number of people by radio or television.

   The vital news was sent broadcast to inform the entire nation.

2. so as to be cast abroad over an area.

   seed sown broadcast.

broadcast British  

/ ˈbrɔːdˌkɑːst /

verb

1. to transmit (announcements or programmes) on radio or television

2. (intr) to take part in a radio or television programme

3. (tr) to make widely known throughout an area

   to broadcast news

4. (tr) to scatter (seed, etc) over an area, esp by hand

---

noun

1. 1. a transmission or programme on radio or television

   2. ( as modifier )

      a broadcast signal

2. 1. the act of scattering seeds

   2. ( as modifier )

      the broadcast method of sowing

adjective

1. dispersed over a wide area

   broadcast seeds

adverb

1. far and wide

   seeds to be sown broadcast

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

• broadcaster
  noun
• broadcasting
  noun
• unbroadcasted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• broadcasts
  plural

Participles

• broadcasting
  present
• broadcast
  past
• broadcasted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• broadcast
  simple
• broadcasts
  simple
• have broadcast
  perfect
• have broadcasted
  perfect
• has broadcast
  perfect
• has broadcasted
  perfect
• am broadcasting
  progressive
• are broadcasting
  progressive
• is broadcasting
  progressive
• have been broadcasting
  perfect progressive
• has been broadcasting
  perfect progressive

Past

• broadcast
  simple
• broadcasted
  simple
• had broadcast
  perfect
• had broadcasted
  perfect
• was broadcasting
  progressive
• were broadcasting
  progressive
• had been broadcasting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will broadcast
  simple
• will have broadcast
  perfect
• will have broadcasted
  perfect
• will be broadcasting
  progressive
• will have been broadcasting
  perfect progressive

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

broadcast broadcasts broadcasted broadcasting

FSB agents summoned the brigade’s deputy commander for questioning, as well as a soldier who had recorded a video later broadcast by Ukrainian and Western media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Their efforts will be broadcast live along the route.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

"So my lords, may I introduce you to Baroness Campbell Mark 2," she added, before her AI-generated voice broadcast her address.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

She later moved to New York for a broadcast job with Court TV.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

On the Tuesday nights when the show was broadcast, crime rates fell, and attendance at movie theaters and restaurants dropped.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Trautman found that the military’s efforts to provide enrichment and entertainment to soldiers and sailors put an emphasis on “movies, post exchanges, radio broadcasts, athletics, and dramatics.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 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

The longstanding joke about Emmy Awards broadcasts, among jaded TV critics anyway, is that an evening dedicated to celebrating the best TV often turns out to be one of the worst shows of the year.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

Nothing but emergency broadcasts, telling people where to go, where not to go, and to remain calm.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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

She also broadcasted messages from servicemen and women in England to their friends and families in the Caribbean, in her popular weekly series: Calling the West Indies.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2024

Footage broadcasted by the news outlet showed debris and smoke rising from the side of mountain near the town.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 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

Excluding traditional satellite television broadcasting, it employed 2,811 people, an increase of 81% over the same period.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 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

“A lot of my friends are from the broadcasting club,” Nora says.

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• advertise
• announce
• blare
• circulate
• communicate
• declare
• disseminate
• distribute
• publish
• spread

---