hype

¹ American  

[hahyp] / haɪp /

verb (used with object)

hyped, hyping

1. to stimulate, excite, or agitate (usually followed byup ).

   She was hyped up at the thought of owning her own car.

2. to create interest in by flamboyant or dramatic methods; promote or publicize showily.

   a promoter who knows how to hype a prizefight.

3. to intensify (advertising, promotion, or publicity) by ingenious or questionable claims, methods, etc. (usually followed byup ).

4. to trick; gull.

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noun

1. exaggerated publicity; hoopla.

2. an ingenious or questionable claim, method, etc., used in advertising, promotion, or publicity to intensify the effect.

3. a swindle, deception, or trick.

hype ² American  

[hahyp] / haɪp /

noun

Slang.

1. a hypodermic needle.

2. Disparaging and Offensive. a person who is addicted to a drug, especially one who uses a hypodermic needle.

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hype ¹ British  

/ haɪp /

noun

1. a deception or racket

2. intensive or exaggerated publicity or sales promotion

   media hype

3. the person or thing so publicized

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verb

1. to market or promote (a product) using exaggerated or intensive publicity

2. to falsify or rig (something)

3. (in the pop-music business) to buy (copies of a particular record) in such quantity as to increase its ratings in the charts

hype ² British  

/ haɪp /

noun

1. a hypodermic needle or injection

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verb

1. to inject oneself with a drug

2. (tr) to stimulate artificially or excite

Other Word Forms

• hyper noun
• hyping noun

Etymology

Origin of hype¹

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30, in sense “to trick, swindle,” of uncertain origin; subsequent senses perhaps by reanalysis as a shortening of hyperbole

Origin of hype²

First recorded in 1920–25; shortening of hypodermic; hypo ¹

Example Sentences

In the case of Figma, hype for the design-software company waned on fears that AI will be able to more easily create apps and webpages.

From The Wall Street Journal

But just as AI hype has sent technology stocks to frothy highs, investors are pouring into consumer staples with the same enthusiasm, pushing some retailers toward valuations that feel equally inflated.

From MarketWatch

“He was very hyped up and agitated,” said Chamberlain, a Newport Beach resident who spends half the year in the bustling coastal town in the Mexican state of Jalisco.

From Los Angeles Times

What if artificial intelligence actually meets or exceeds the hype around it, but that turns out to be very bearish for stocks?

From MarketWatch

In an opinion piece at the Mind Matters website, technology consultant Jeffrey Funk called it "hype" driven by fear.

From Barron's

Related Words

• advertise
• announce
• boost
• broadcast
• pitch
• promote
• promulgate
• tout
• trumpet