infomercial

noun

in·​fo·​mer·​cial ˈin-(ˌ)fō-ˌmər-shəl How to pronounce infomercial (audio)
-fə-
: a television program that is an extended advertisement often including a discussion or demonstration

Examples of infomercial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This promises to be a great infomercial for the Big Ten for 2024, but in this case the Wolverines learn the lessons from last year's loss to the Horned Frogs. Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2024 Indeed, Fox Nation on Wednesday unveiled a new series led by Miller that looks at infomercials. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 10 Jan. 2024 The actress was also known for her 1990s infomercials for the ThighMaster exercise equipment, which was meant to be placed between one’s knees and squeezed to tone the thighs. Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Oct. 2023 By that point, Somers was an extremely wealthy woman, with a personal multi-million-dollar business empire (overseen with her husband, former game show host Alan Hamel) built on her ubiquitous TV infomercials for the ThighMaster. Chris Morris, Variety, 15 Oct. 2023 Doubling as a fitness personality in the ’90s, Somers starred in the infomercial for at-home workout device the ThighMaster. Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 15 Oct. 2023 As with every one of these streaming infomercials, rumors and leaks have already spilled the beans on what’s likely to be announced. Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2023 And last summer, Mr. Carlson traveled to Budapest to produce what was in effect an extended infomercial for the Orban government. New York Times, 30 Apr. 2022 Skin cancer likely around ‘from the beginning of human time’ The audio in the post came from a 2004 infomercial featuring Dr. Lorraine Day, a surgeon who claims to have reversed her own cancer with alternative therapies. Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY, 3 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'infomercial.' 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

information + (com)mercial entry 2

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of infomercial was in 1981

Dictionary Entries Near infomercial

Cite this Entry

“Infomercial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infomercial. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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