sound bite

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noun

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

Nearby words

soult, nicolas jean de dieu, sound, sound and the fury, the, sound as a bell, sound barrier, sound bite, sound block, sound bow, sound camera, sound check, sound effect

Origin of sound bite

First recorded in 1985–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sound bite

Bachmann won the sound-bite war, and that, at this stage, is what counts.
Bachmann’s Roundhouse Right|Howard Kurtz|August 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He came off as authentic, and cognizant that policy is often much more complex than sound-bite politics.
Mitt Romney's Tough Sell on Health Care|Daniel Stone|May 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for sound bite

sound bite

noun

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

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

Idioms and Phrases with sound bite

sound bite

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.