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• media
  media

  noun

  a plural of medium.
• Media
  Media

  noun

  an ancient country in W Asia, S of the Caspian Sea, corresponding generally to NW Iran. Ecbatana.

media

¹ American  

[mee-dee-uh] / ˈmi di ə /

noun

1. a plural of medium.

2. (usually used with a plural verb) the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, and the internet, that reach or influence people widely.

   The media are covering the speech tonight.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or concerned with such means.

   a job in media research.

media ² American  

[mee-dee-uh] / ˈmi di ə /

noun

• mediae
  plural

1. Greek Grammar. a voiced plosive, as β, δ, γ.

2. Anatomy. the middle layer of an artery or lymphatic vessel.

3. Entomology. a longitudinal vein in the middle portion of the wing of an insect.

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Media ³ American  

[mee-dee-uh] / ˈmi di ə /

noun

1. an ancient country in W Asia, S of the Caspian Sea, corresponding generally to NW Iran. Ecbatana.

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media ¹ British  

/ ˈmɛdɪə /

noun

1. the middle layer of the wall of a blood or lymph vessel

2. one of the main veins in the wing of an insect

3. phonetics

   1. a consonant whose articulation lies midway between that of a voiced and breathed speech sound

   2. a consonant pronounced with weak voice, as c in French second

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media ² British  

/ ˈmiːdɪə /

noun

1. a plural of medium

2. the means of communication that reach large numbers of people, such as television, newspapers, and radio

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adjective

1. of or relating to the mass media

   media hype

Media ³ British  

/ ˈmiːdɪə /

noun

1. an ancient country of SW Asia, south of the Caspian Sea: inhabited by the Medes; overthrew the Assyrian Empire in 612 _bc in alliance with Babylonia; conquered by Cyrus the Great in 550 _bc ; corresponds to present-day NW Iran

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Usage

Media, like data, is the plural form of a word borrowed directly from Latin. The singular, medium, early developed the meaning “an intervening agency, means, or instrument” and was first applied to newspapers two centuries ago. In the 1920s media began to appear as a singular collective noun, sometimes with the plural medias. This singular use is now common in the fields of mass communication and advertising, but it is not frequently found outside them: The media is (or are ) not antibusiness.

When media refers to the mass media, it is sometimes treated as a singular form, as in: the media has shown great interest in these events. Many people think this use is incorrect and that media should always be treated as a plural form: the media have shown great interest in these events

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mediae
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of media¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Origin of media²

First recorded in 1835–45; from Late Latin (grammar sense only), noun use of feminine singular of Latin medius “middle”; cf. mid ¹ ( def. )

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Explanation

All the various communications you use to get your news — magazines, websites, radio, and TV, among others — are collectively known as media. Many public figures thrive on media attention. This word is frequently used as a mass noun: "I wish the media would focus more on local news than on celebrity gossip!" You can use it for the system of news organizations that put important stories in front of the public, as well as for the journalists themselves. Philosopher and theorist Marshall McLuhan is credited with the first use of this word to mean "communication channels," in 1954.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

media Media mediae

Controlling the narrative about company culture is becoming increasingly important as more employees are comfortable sharing their layoff experiences on social media.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

Former US senator Jay Rockefeller, an heir to one of America's wealthiest dynasties who devoted decades to fighting poverty and expanding healthcare, has died aged 89, US media reported Friday.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

At the time, Burnam said it was "depressing to see media mission to discredit someone who stops playing their game" and urged Brand to "keep going".

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

If one goes to the official Clifton’s site or social media pages, it will tell you programming at the space is paused.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Engravings of the Arctic from his upcoming book were previewed in the news media, increasing its soaring advance sales.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Find insight on Ziply, Cisco, Expedia and more in the latest Market Talks covering Technology, Media and Telecom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Media companies, which often are those backing sources, have also had to recalibrate.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

For one of the optimistic developers of AI, the musically minded computer scientist Marvin Minsky, the Media Lab functioned akin to a surgeon removing blockages to the imagination.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

China Media Group had earlier demanded apologies from the three parties, calling them "an absolute prerequisite" for moving past the incident.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

I saw a quote in my Media Studies class that said: A Woman's Place Is in the Resistance.

From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan

It is not until much later times that the h in the mutated forms of the tenues, or the use of the dot, was extended to the mediae.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 "Cat" to "Celt" by Various

Those called mediae by the writers on Greek grammar, viz., b, d, g, approach nearer in force to the corresponding tenues p, t, c, than they do in English.

From Elements of Gaelic Grammar by Alexander Stewart

It agrees with Breton on the following points:—It has given up the nasal mutation of initials but provects the mediae.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 "Cat" to "Celt" by Various

A further peculiarity of Scottish Gaelic is that it substitutes lenes or voiceless mediae for the voiced stops, and even l, r, n sounds show a great tendency to give up the voice.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 "Cat" to "Celt" by Various

As a rule the medial mutation of the tenues and mediae is not denoted in O. Welsh.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 "Cat" to "Celt" by Various

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Related Words

• news
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