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:
At the demo event, Musk said production will begin in 2028.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
The demo shown to journalists, covering the opening hour and a later section of the adventure, unfolded much as it did in the 1998 original.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
At the AI hardware conference, the companies did a joint demo of a method to use optical networking in AI data-center racks.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
That sold for £2,400 and an early Oasis demo tape sold for £3,600.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
I wasn’t up for watching Buzz’s demo reel or hearing about the friendly-faced Buddha she needed for the Tibetan prayer room she was designing.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
Interior Minister Ervin Demo said Friday that 156 people had been injured, including 97 police, in recent days.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 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
"I started the Flower Demo because I was angry," Minori Kitahara told the BBC after one of the gatherings in Tokyo.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2023
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
"Eh, shouldn't they be out delivering the mail, " Demo inquired?
From The Tarn of Eternity by Frank Tymon
Telis Demos is a writer for The Wall Street Journal’s Heard on the Street column, covering banking and finance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 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
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
Heather McGhee, the former president of progressive think tank Demos, wrote about this phenomenon in her book “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 27, 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
Like “The Blue Print,” “The Stranger in the House” is made up of demos and outtakes he created for his fantasy life as a working songwriter — possibly even in faraway Nashville.
From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2026
From quick reels on how to fix cracks in walls, to complicated YouTube tutorials on building alcove seating from scratch, the internet is chock-a-block with seemingly endless home improvement demos.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
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
It has also strengthened global collaborations with retail partners to expand its reach and introduced interactive in-store demos while opening new Lego branded stores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 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
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
One of the launch partners that was demoed during the DevDay keynote was Canva, the graphic design application.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025
The game was demoed to press with a wedding scene at E3 1999, and during the demo two female Sims kissed.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 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
Both nominations recognise Now and Then, a song that John Lennon demoed in the 1970s, and which was finally completed by his surviving bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr last year.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2025
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
They took their food processors on the road, demoing the quick work they could made of the labor-intensive, classical French techniques in style at the time.
From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2021
We even got a glimpse at what competitive play will look like in 2022 with an exhibition game of league pros demoing Overwatch 2 during halftime.
From The Verge ● Sep. 27, 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
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