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Tinseltown

American  
[tin-suhl-toun] / ˈtɪn səlˌtaʊn /

noun

Informal.
  1. Hollywood, California, as a center of the movie industry.


Tinseltown British  
/ ˈtɪnsəlˌtaʊn /

noun

  1. an informal name for Hollywood

"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

Etymology

Origin of Tinseltown

C20: from the insubstantial glitter of the film world

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.

And in fulfilling a dream they both had, the music-loving granddad has returned from Tinseltown a star in his own right.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Jerry Seinfeld, who presumably knows a thing or two about show business, has said the film industry as currently constituted is kaput, even if Tinseltown has been slow to understand what’s happened in recent decades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025

In interviews, town halls and legislative committee hearings, industry workers said that without state intervention, they feared Tinseltown would be hollowed out, similar to Detroit after the heyday of its auto industry.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2025

Moore went full-tilt ferocious in French director Coralie Fargeat’s latest film as aging Tinseltown star Elisabeth Sparkle, who takes a mysterious anti-aging drug that promises her beauty and success.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2025

They’re all movies from when Hollywood was called Tinseltown, and they couldn’t make explosions.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri