television

noun

tele·​vi·​sion ˈte-lə-ˌvi-zhən How to pronounce television (audio)
 especially British  ˌte-lə-ˈvi-
often attributive
1
: an electronic system of transmitting transient images of fixed or moving objects together with sound over a wire or through space by apparatus that converts light and sound into electrical waves and reconverts them into visible light rays and audible sound
2
: a television receiving set
3
a
: the television broadcasting industry
b
: television as a medium of communication
c
: programming distributed over the Internet that is designed to be viewed in the same format as broadcast television
A couple of couch companions watching TV on tablets might not see the same thing any more, even when watching the same shows. Ad personalization—routine for most of the Web—has come to streaming television.Donna Howell
The quarter was the 10th anniversary of Netflix's streaming service, which began with the vision that internet television would ultimately replace traditional television.Emily Steel

Examples of television in a Sentence

people who turn on the television the minute they walk in the door
Recent Examples on the Web The book series kicked off in 1996, just a few years before the rise of premium cable culture drivers would make television more friendly to artistic ambition and less subject to the FCC. Alison Herman, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 The Taliban, which smashed televisions and burned films in the 1990s during its first stint in power, is now using modern video technology in its radical campaign to remake Afghanistan. Rick Noack, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 By contrast, television has started hosting more varied stories about Indigenous people. Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024 Postman, an acolyte of the influential Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan, argued that if McLuhan’s most famous postulation was correct—that the medium is the message—then television was a uniquely destructive and obscurantist force that had already ruined American discourse. Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024 The State of the Union address will be streamed on the USA TODAY YouTube channel and through the USA TODAY channel on your smart television. James Powel, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 Why isn't 'Farmer Wants a Wife' on television tonight? Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 Other options include news networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX on network television, as well as CNN, FOX News, MSNBC and NewsNation on cable television. The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 Berman, the only woman to have held the top job at both a major film company and television network, was given the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television. Andrew Dalton, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

French télévision, from télé- tele- + vision vision

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of television was in 1900

Dictionary Entries Near television

Cite this Entry

“Television.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/television. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

television

noun
tele·​vi·​sion ˈtel-ə-ˌvizh-ən How to pronounce television (audio)
1
: an electronic system of transmitting images with sound over a wire or through space by devices that change light and sound into electrical waves and then change these back into light and sound
2
: a television receiving set
3
: the television broadcasting industry

More from Merriam-Webster on television

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