sound bite

American  

noun

1. a brief, striking remark or statement excerpted from an audiotape or videotape for insertion in a broadcast news story.

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sound bite British  

noun

1. a short pithy sentence or phrase extracted from a longer speech for use on radio or television

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sound bite Idioms  

1. A short, striking, quotable statement well suited to a television news program. For example, He's extremely good at sound bites, but a really substantive speech is beyond him. This slangy expression, first recorded in 1980, originated in political campaigns in which candidates tried to get across a particular message or get publicity by having it picked up in newscasts.

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Etymology

Origin of sound bite

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sound bite

North pointed to the adage that “it takes a minute to say a sound bite, but an hour to explain why it is false.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2025

Nevertheless, the academics tried to offer careful, nuanced answers to hypothetical questions and ended up on the wrong end of a sound bite.

From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2024

"An empty slogan won't pay decent wages, false promises won't build secure homes, and a sound bite won't empower local people and local communities to take control of their futures."

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2023

The idea that all social media apps, not just TikTok, are due for better oversight and regulation was another sound bite the creators offered up on Wednesday.

From New York Times ● Mar. 23, 2023

I can taste the tears behind every sound bite.

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon

Related Words

• blurb
• clip
• excerpt
• one-liner
• quotation
• slogan
• snippet