Muzak

American

[myoo-zak] / ˈmyu zæk /

Trademark.

recorded background music transmitted by radio, telephone, or satellite to built-in sets in offices, restaurants, waiting rooms, etc.

Muzak British

/ ˈmjuːzæk /

noun

recorded light music played in shops, restaurants, factories, etc, to entertain, increase sales or production, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

It is the roads, the cars, the Muzak in the elevators.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025

It is the elevator music, the Muzak, of potato dishes.

From Salon • May 9, 2024

In 1957, the Tropicana opened as the most lavish hotel and casino in Las Vegas, with a cascading 60-foot fountain and shimmering pool that piped Muzak underwater.

From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2023

“The ‘Final Fantasy’ music is certainly not Muzak.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2023

The Muzak from the speakers had been turned up, only it wasn’t Muzak anymore—it was real music.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023