podcast

American  

[pod-kast, ‑-kahst] / ˈpɒdˌkæst, ‑ˌkɑst /

noun

1. a digital audio or video file or recording, usually part of a themed series, that can be downloaded from a website to a media player or computer.

   Download or subscribe to daily, one-hour podcasts of our radio show.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to record and upload as a podcast.

   He podcasts once a week on various topics.

   She podcasts her lectures.

podcast British  

/ ˈpɒdˌkɑːst /

noun

1. an audio file similar to a radio broadcast, which can be downloaded and listened to on a computer, mp3 player, mobile phone, etc

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verb

1. (intr) to create such files and make them available for downloading

2. (tr) to make (music, interviews, etc) available using this format

Other Word Forms

• podcaster
  noun
• podcasting
  noun

Etymology

Origin of podcast

First recorded in 2000-05; iPod + (broad)cast

Explanation

A podcast is a show that you download from the internet and listen to whenever you want. It’s like getting a radio broadcast in a doggy bag. It has nothing to do with seedpods and everything to do with iPods. Podcasts are a lot like radio programs, except you can subscribe to a podcast, download it, and play it on a digital device, like a smartphone or a computer. It’s also very DIY friendly — you could podcast the funny conversations you and your friends have about movies, or a radio play put on at a local elementary school. The word podcast first appeared in 2004, from iPod and broadcast.

Example Sentences

"It was him being ill and reaching out to me and saying, 'I need your help'," she told the podcast host Jay Shetty last year.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026

“It was led by somebody that I had grown to trust and see as a protector and somebody who had my back,” she told podcast host Jay Shetty of the incident.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026

This podcast series examines the strategies emerging to solve the country’s housing shortfall as high interest rates and a chronic shortage of inventory have pushed the U.S. housing market to a breaking point.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

To get up to speed on AI model evaluations, Lakhani used a Google AI tool called NotebookLM to generate a podcast about the topic that he listened to on a plane.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

“This wheel is a hundred years old. It always seems funny to watch TV or listen to a podcast while working on an antique.”

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows