televise
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
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to put (a programme) on television
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(tr) to transmit (a programme, signal, etc) by television
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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televisesimple
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televisessimple
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have televisedperfect
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has televisedperfect
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am televisingprogressive
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are televisingprogressive
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is televisingprogressive
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have been televisingperfect progressive
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has been televisingperfect progressive
Past
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televisedsimple
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had televisedperfect
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was televisingprogressive
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were televisingprogressive
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had been televisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of televise
First recorded in 1925–30; back formation from television
Explanation
You're most likely to televise something if you work at a TV station — to televise is to transmit or broadcast on a television. A high school with a winning basketball team might decide to televise games on a local station so everyone in town can watch them on TV. Judges presiding over trials sometimes allow news channels to televise them, although often they don't. The verb televise grew out of the word television, modeled on verbs like revise and advise. The word television combines tele, "far off" in Greek, and vision, "something seen in the imagination," from a Latin root.
Vocabulary lists containing televise
Common Senses: Vid, Vis ("See")
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Far and Away: Tele
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Academy Awards, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
Lebanon was due to make its debut in 2005, but its laws made it nearly impossible to show Israel's performance so it withdrew when the EBU confirmed it had to televise the whole show.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
Riding alongside was Netflix, the streaming behemoth, which once famously said it didn’t care to televise real sporting events, and I guess we’ll have to take them at their word here.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
The fallout: a November settlement that allowed TNT Sports and Bleacher Report to broadcast games in certain international markets, but no more rights to televise live games in the United States.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2025
Discovery balked, and while the two sides have continued negotiating, the company now finds itself on the verge of losing the rights to televise the sport with which it has become inextricably linked.
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2024
When they televise the replay of the reapings tonight, everyone will make note of my tears, and I'll be marked as an easy target.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Most MLB teams have a local broadcaster that televises games.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 30, 2026
But it is not an easy process for TV executives tasked with the job of working out who televises each game.
From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2025
Nebraska Public Media, which televises and streams the debates, said technology privacy policies make gauging viewership difficult, but it appeared to be up based on how many people called seeking help to tune in.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 10, 2023
Diamond Sports televises games of more than 40 teams, including Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League franchises.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2023
The Sports Bra opened in April and claims to be the first pub in the U.S. that only televises women’s sports.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 2, 2022
The daily drumbeat of criticism from talking heads who tuned into all of those televised games — not fun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Zelensky announced the decision in a televised address Tuesday evening after several meetings with senior military commanders, replacing him with another experienced commander, Maj.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Anyone running for this nomination should agree to at least one televised debate and hold multiple public town halls across every corner of the state,” Shah posted Tuesday.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Canada will take part in next year's Eurovision Song Contest, organisers announced Wednesday, expanding participation in the world's biggest live televised music event to the Americas for the first time.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
He’d been a competitive swimmer and boxer in school, too, and as an adult was a fan of every televised sport, from professional golf to the NHL.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
At least six more Major League Baseball teams just locked in a new partner for televising their games: the league itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
Miss Webster, who has run the pub for six years, said they had only just started televising the game when they decided on "a crazy offer".
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2025
For fans that have MLB TV subscription, Bally Sports West — the Angels’ regional sports network — is televising the game.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum News 1 will be televising four CIF state championship regional football bowl games this weekend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
Even as Bobby was waging a secondary battle against cameras in Reykjavik, cameras in New York were televising his epic struggle on the board.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
