sitcom
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of sitcom
First recorded in 1960–65; by shortening
Explanation
Sitcom is short for “situation comedy.” It’s a funny TV show with a realistic setting, like an apartment full of wacky roommates or a restaurant where a regular cast of characters cracks jokes from week to week. Sitcoms have been around since people began rolling their eyes at laugh tracks. I Love Lucy (1950’s) was an early sitcom; it was one that featured a married couple who had zany misunderstandings. On 30 Rock (2000’s), the situation was a bunch of oddballs in their office making a TV show. On Barney Miller, (1970’s) the situation was a normal police captain surrounded by weird coworkers. The basic elements of a sitcom stay the same from week to week.
Vocabulary lists containing sitcom
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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.
The sitcom, which followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating and careers, drew a massive following and made megastars of previously unknown actors.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
Disney rolled out the cast of “Scrubs” to announce another 10-episode order of the early 2000s sitcom for Hulu.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026
The competition features no Irish entrant and national broadcaster RTÉ will not be showing events from Austria, airing a Eurovision-themed episode of sitcom Father Ted instead.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Many a sitcom, drama and news program of that era lamented the lack of congressional courage.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
I can’t hear anything that’s happening in this sitcom rerun over my own crunching.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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.
