broadcast

1 of 4

verb

broad·​cast ˈbrȯd-ˌkast How to pronounce broadcast (audio)
broadcast also broadcasted; broadcasting

transitive verb

1
: to scatter or sow (seed or something similar) over a broad area
broadcasting seed
broadcasting fertilizer on a lawn
2
: to make widely known
A man who—make no mistake—cares deeply, but doesn't feel the need to broadcast it.Allison Glock
3
: to send out or transmit (something, such as a program) by means of radio or television or by streaming over the Internet
an event being broadcast live on television
Poker was first broadcast on television in 1993, but it wasn't until 2002 that the game became watchable.Josh Tyrangiel
… part of a campaign to get people to go online to a fashion show that was broadcast live over the Internet.David Noack

intransitive verb

1
: to transmit a broadcast
Among the group's claims to fame is that it was the first band to broadcast live over the Internet.John Markoff
2
: to speak or perform on a broadcast program
broadcaster noun

broadcast

2 of 4

noun

plural broadcasts
1
: a program that is broadcast on radio or television or over the Internet
listening to a radio broadcast
a live nationwide broadcast
2
: the act of transmitting sound or images by radio or television
the broadcast of court proceedings
Less than two years ago, the broadcast of digital television—from transmitter tower to home antenna—was considered to be science fiction.George Mannes
3
: a casting or scattering in all directions (as of seed from the hand in sowing)
… those of us who oppose the wanton broadcast of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers on lawn and garden …Maxine Kumin

broadcast

3 of 4

adjective

1
: cast or scattered in all directions
2
: made public by means of radio or television
3
: of or relating to radio or television broadcasting

broadcast

4 of 4

adverb

: to or over a broad area

Examples of broadcast in a Sentence

Verb The station broadcasts the symphony live every Friday night. The interview was broadcast from London. If you tell her anything about your personal life she'll broadcast it to everyone in the office. broadcast fertilizer on the lawn Noun Did you hear the broadcast of last night's game? The judge decided to allow broadcast of the trial.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online. Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024 Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Sean Clancy, arkansasonline.com, 23 Apr. 2024 The 2024 Daytime Emmys will be broadcast live June 7 on CBS. Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024 This will mark the 18th time CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmys, which is more than any other network. Paul Grein, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024 This is the second year in a two-year telecast deal that NATAS had set with CBS, which has broadcast the Daytime Emmys 18 times, more than any other network. Michael Schneider, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024 Caught up in it was the Seven Network television channel, which had broadcast exclusive interviews with Lehrmann in 2023. Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024 No, there will be no live footage or audio from the courtroom, since New York state law prohibits broadcasting criminal proceedings. Graham Kates, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024 Tennis Channel will broadcast every round of the Barcelona Open (also known as the Torneo Conde de Godó), including men’s singles and men’s doubles. Tim Chan, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024
Noun
The opening two rounds will be shown from 2pm BST, while the weekend’s broadcasts begin from 3pm BST. Jack Bantock, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024 Kansas City Royals fans will hear a new voice on the radio broadcast this weekend. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024 Keep track of all the renewals and cancellations at the networks with THR’s broadcast scorecard. Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024 Fees like regional sports programming or broadcast retransmission consent can no longer be obscured. USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024 The long-running sketch comedy show, currently in its 49th season, broadcasts live every Saturday night on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET.. Anna Tingley, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024 They are also simulcast on every major cable and broadcast network, a throwback to a more quaint media age when Americans absorbed information from the same group of news sources. Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024 The broadcast is airing on NASA TV, and on NASA’s website, and will include commentary from experts and astronauts on the International Space Station. Quartz Staff, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024 Click here to access the printable version of today’s CNN 10 transcript CNN 10 serves a growing audience interested in compact on-demand news broadcasts ideal for explanation seekers on the go or in the classroom. CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has tapped broadcast journalist icon Dan Rather, as well as veteran network correspondents John Quiñones and David Martin to be inducted into its annual Gold Circle honor society. Michael Schneider, Variety, 29 Aug. 2023 The award, named for the legendary television journalist and presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association, recognizes broadcast and digital reporting across the nation. Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 16 Aug. 2023 No non-broadcast network has hit that record. Clayton Davis, Variety, 22 June 2022 Savannah Guthrie exits ‘Today’ mid-broadcast and tests positive for the coronavirus — again. Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2023 Kotb’s co-anchor, Savannah Guthrie, was also back in the studio Monday after exiting the show mid-broadcast last week and testing positive for COVID-19. Christi Carrasstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2023 The Resident co-creator and executive producer Amy Holden Jones and Matt Nix (Burn Notice) — who just signed a broadcast direct deal with Fox — are behind Archie & Pete, a buddy-cop drama whose logline reads a bit like a gender-reversed Bones. Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2023 Other trends include pubcasters pushing and encouraging new viewing habits, like pre-broadcast. Liza Foreman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2022 Smith is Tuesday’s guest on the talk show, but a pre-broadcast clip of their duet with Clarkson is already taking our will-this-week-ever-end negativity and turning it into what can only be described as a can-do-anything attitude. Sandra Gonzalez, CNN, 11 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'broadcast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1744, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1758, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1743, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of broadcast was in 1743

Dictionary Entries Near broadcast

Cite this Entry

“Broadcast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/broadcast. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

broadcast

1 of 4 adjective
broad·​cast ˈbrȯd-ˌkast How to pronounce broadcast (audio)
1
: scattered in all directions
2
: made public by means of radio or television

broadcast

2 of 4 verb
broadcast also broadcasted; broadcasting
1
: to scatter or sow over a broad area
2
: to make widely known
a secret that I wouldn't want broadcast to the whole world
3
: to send out by radio or television
broadcaster noun

broadcast

3 of 4 adverb
: so as to spread far and wide

broadcast

4 of 4 noun
1
: the act of sending sound or images by radio or television
2
: a single radio or television program

More from Merriam-Webster on broadcast

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!