popular culture

American

[pop-yuh-ler kuhl-cher] / ˈpɒp yə lər ˈkʌl tʃər /

noun

cultural and commercial artifacts, media, and entertainment reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people.

Most artists are influenced by a variety of external sources, including popular culture.
The actor's role in the series made her an important figure in popular culture.

Etymology

Origin of popular culture

First recorded in 1850–55

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.

That ground seems adequately covered in popular culture.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

You’ll be excused for viewing that shameless promotion with cynicism as long as you also leave room to appreciate it as an indicator of how far the group has pulled popular culture.

From Salon • May 31, 2026

Platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi let users bet on future events in areas such as politics, war, and popular culture.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

Nevertheless, the wormhole metaphor flourished in popular culture and speculative theoretical physics.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

Eddington’s painstaking publicity campaign launched the theory of relativity into popular culture and its father, Albert Einstein, into a life of international renown.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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