demo
noun
demo
1 American
[dem-oh]
/ ˈdɛm oʊ /
noun
-
demos
plural
-
a recording of a new song or of one performed by an unknown singer or singing group, distributed to disc jockeys, recording companies, etc., to demonstrate the merits of the song or performer.
-
He does flooring and demo for a living.
verb (used with object)
demoed,
demoing
-
to try out or exhibit the use of (a product, process, or the like).
You can demo the game without downloading or buying it.
-
to record (a song) to demonstrate the merits of the song or performer.
Demo
2
American
[dem-oh]
/ ˈdɛm oʊ /
noun
Informal.
-
Demos
plural
demo-
3
American
demo
1
British
/ ˈdɛməʊ /
noun
-
short for demonstration
-
-
a demonstration record or tape, used for audition purposes
-
a demonstration of a prototype system
-
-
short for demonstrator
demo-
2
British
combining form
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of demo1
1935–40; by shortening; see -o
Origin of Demo2
An Americanism dating back to 1785–95
Origin of demo-3
< Greek dēmo-, combining form of dêmos
Explanation
A demo is what you give to show how something works. You might give a demo of your fancy new espresso machine to your weekend guests, so they'll know how to use it. Demo is short for demonstrate or demonstration. It can be a verb, as when a tech company demos its new tablet or laptop. It's also a noun: "The demo of that software was pretty interesting." In the music industry, a demo is a practice version of a song, meant to show a record label or music venue what a performer's music sounds like. This meaning's been around since the 1960s, while earlier it meant "a political demonstration."
Vocabulary lists containing demo
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:
“Flaco Jiménez’s son told me that Kacey wanted to do an all-Texas thing where Willie Nelson was in the song and Kacey also invited Flaco to play accordion,” said Muñoz, who heard the original demo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Much has been made about the box set’s inclusion of “Little Girl,” a previously lost Lennon demo.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Considering I physically jumped out of my seat at one point playing the demo when avoiding the Alien, it's safe to say Creative Assembly will once again be ratcheting up the tension with the sequel.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Dailey explained the demo, and Cook paused in what Dailey described as a “terrifying” moment of thought.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
“Go into demo mode on that Elucidator, sugar,” Hodge told Katherine.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The following year, he released his debut album This Is My Demo, accompanied by the top 40 single, Little Derek, which celebrated how he had "ended up in HMV instead of HMP".
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
It received a Best Paper Honorable Mention recognition, while a demo of the research team's broader robotic feeding system received a Best Demo Award.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2024
Demo sessions began at Lanois’ makeshift studio in a converted movie theater in Oxnard, not far from Dylan’s home on Malibu’s Point Dume.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2023
So while sitting last month in Father Demo Square, in Manhattan’s West Village, Brookshire took advantage.
From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2022
That silence, more than the wild calls, frightened Demo.
From The Tarn of Eternity by Frank Tymon
Heard’s Telis Demos explains why the recent surge in Treasury yields might have a simpler explanation behind it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Demos, presentations and meetings will take place in a massive convention center as well as ballrooms and suites throughout the city.
From Barron's ● Jan. 3, 2026
The Flower Demos have become a symbol of defiance against silence.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2023
Demos recorded at that time got the attention of Steve Allen, who put her on his prime-time television variety show.
From New York Times ● Mar. 15, 2023
Virginia Demos, who teaches psychology at Harvard, recalls having long conversations with Tomkins during the 1988 Democratic National Convention.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Whereas most American robotics companies only show their products in obsessively stage-managed demos, at an Ultimate Bots fight, “failure is the show,” Bulatov says.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
That material and the five other previously unheard tunes, as well as demos and remastered songs, form part of a new, posthumous album called The Shel Talmy Recordings.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The bereaved received rap demos that Elsesser’s brother and his friends had recorded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Much of the current humanoid hype reflects scripted demos, human-controlled teleoperation, or task-specific automation, rather than real general-purpose autonomy, they note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
This being a direct rather than a representative democracy, membership of the demos, or sovereign body, was by right rather than by election, and every decision was taken on a one-man, one-vote basis.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Grohl demoed more than 50 songs - typically in the middle of the night, many of them instrumental, touching on influences as diverse as Massive Attack, Pink Floyd and Bad Brains.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
When Musk returned to the stage a year later, he demoed a prototype called Bumblebee, with visible wires and actuators.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 3, 2026
GoDaddy demoed the AI app builder, agentic workflows for core small and midsize customers, and Airo for WordPress professionals.
From Barron's ● Dec. 6, 2025
AI companies, including OpenAI, Google and Meta, have demoed or shared their tools with movie and TV studios and directors.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2025
In early October, Tesla demoed Optimus, its humanoid robot.
From Slate ● Oct. 24, 2022
At the Times Food Stage, Cassandra Peterson, known for her work as Elvira, will be demoing from her book “Elvira’s Cookbook From Hell.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026
In a third, Jonathan Shobrook, a fellow, was demoing his product, Adrenaline, a tool that lets you ask natural-language questions of your code base.
From New York Times ● May 31, 2023
In exchange for demoing, I'd get free unlimited yoga classes.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2023
Microsoft only spent 11 seconds of its 49 minute event demoing the Surface Pro 8 without a peripheral you’ll need to pay extra for.
From The Verge ● Sep. 22, 2021
Kaname Hayashi will be demoing Lovot, a chick-like bot with large expressive eyes, flapping arms, wheels, and a wardrobe of clothes to cover its soft shell.
From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2019
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.
