television
Americannoun
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the transmission of programming, in the form of still or moving images, via radio waves, cable wires, satellite, or wireless network to a receiver or other screen.
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the process or product involved.
to watch television.
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an electronic device or set for receiving television broadcasts or similar programming.
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the field of television broadcasting, or similar transmission of programming.
noun
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the system or process of producing on a distant screen a series of transient visible images, usually with an accompanying sound signal. Electrical signals, converted from optical images by a camera tube, are transmitted by UHF or VHF radio waves or by cable and reconverted into optical images by means of a television tube inside a television set
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Also called: television set. a device designed to receive and convert incoming electrical signals into a series of visible images on a screen together with accompanying sound
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the content, etc, of television programmes
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the occupation or profession concerned with any aspect of the broadcasting of television programmes
he's in television
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(modifier) of, relating to, or used in the transmission or reception of video and audio UHF or VHF radio signals
a television transmitter
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of television
Explanation
A television is an electronic device that broadcasts entertaining programs you can watch and listen to. You and your parents might argue over how much television you're allowed to watch on school nights. If you're North American, you probably call a television a TV, while in the UK it's common to use the nickname telly. The word television was first used for the very earliest versions of the TV, around 1900. The word comes from the Greek root tele, "far off," and the Latin visio, "sight." Other names suggested at the time for this brand new technology included telephote and televista.
Vocabulary lists containing television
Frankenwords: Words with Roots from Different Languages
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Journalism
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Media Literacy - Introductory
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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:
Fox has often credited her father with inspiring her love of space after he showed her the moon landing on television when she was eight months old.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Did you fail to keep up with some of the year’s best television?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Shatner and Nichelle Nichols, a Black actress who played Lieutenant Uhura, made history in 1968 with one of the first interracial kisses ever seen on US television.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
It was a show that attracted high-profile guests from television, music, politics and sport.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
“And now switching to some local news…” The man on the television has a booming voice.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Lachlan Murdoch led Fox’s purchase of Tubi, which provides free TV channels and movies for smart televisions, keeping Fox in the streaming game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Roku still sells streaming sticks and smart televisions, but devices account for a relatively small portion of its business.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
Some sports media pundits have been citing the addition of out-of-home viewing and internet-connected televisions to Nielsen data as the reason sports ratings have been on the rise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
New orders for long-lasting goods like televisions, appliances and cars were up by 7.9% in April to $346 billion, after a 1.3% increase in March.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
They have cars and televisions and homes and they’re complaining.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
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.
