media
noun
a plural of medium.
media
1 American
[mee-dee-uh]
/ ˈmi di ə /
noun
-
a plural of medium.
-
(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.
adjective
media
2
American
[mee-dee-uh]
/ ˈmi di ə /
noun
mediae
plural
-
Greek Grammar. a voiced plosive, as β, δ, γ.
-
Anatomy. the middle layer of an artery or lymphatic vessel.
-
Entomology. a longitudinal vein in the middle portion of the wing of an insect.
Media
3
American
[mee-dee-uh]
/ ˈmi di ə /
noun
media
1
British
/ ˈmɛdɪə /
noun
-
the middle layer of the wall of a blood or lymph vessel
-
one of the main veins in the wing of an insect
-
phonetics
-
a consonant whose articulation lies midway between that of a voiced and breathed speech sound
-
a consonant pronounced with weak voice, as c in French second
-
media
2
British
/ ˈmiːdɪə /
noun
-
a plural of medium
-
the means of communication that reach large numbers of people, such as television, newspapers, and radio
adjective
Media
3
British
/ ˈmiːdɪə /
noun
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
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. )
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.
Vocabulary lists containing media
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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:
Away from her Academy, Dimoldenberg is hugely busy building her media empire.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
As well as her sporting success, she is also popular on social media with more than 117,000 Instagram followers.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
For instance, the suit alleges that in 2024 Penske Media sold “Variety Golden Globes” dinner series offering access to Golden Globes voters at $70,000 apiece, as cited in media reports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Watch the recording to catch their lively discussion about how influencers have transformed media, storytelling, and entertainment.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Although there were seventy workers, the media called them the Fukushima 50.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
The other addresses are tied to EDI Media Inc. — its West Covina office and a Mount Tricia Avenue house in the same city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
For instance, the suit alleges that in 2024 Penske Media sold “Variety Golden Globes” dinner series offering access to Golden Globes voters at $70,000 apiece, as cited in media reports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Media outlets have recently been reporting on partnerships between museums, historical image collections and AI firms.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
Angelo’s Yorkville Advisors, a small New Jersey investment firm, wasn’t just a large stakeholder in Trump Media & Technology DJT 0.83%increase; up pointing triangle , home of Truth Social.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Alexander Helios, now betrothed to the daughter of the Median king, received Armenia and Media.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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
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
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 Stewart, Alexander
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
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.
