broadcast

1 of 4

verb

broad·​cast ˈbrȯd-ˌkast 

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

ˈbrȯd-ˌka-stər 

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

Synonyms

Verb

• disseminate
• propagate
• spread

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

To earn that connection, companies must shift from broadcasting to enabling, from selling to supporting and from control to collaboration. —Manu Mathew, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025

Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online. —Don Sweeney july 13, Kansas City Star, 13 July 2025

Noun

The Anniversary Special topped the broadcast nets with 12 nominations, followed by NBC’s Saturday Night Live (seven) and, in a three-way tie, ABC’s Abbott Elementary, CBS’ The Amazing Race and ABC’s broadcast of the Oscars, each with six. —Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025

Philippine Coast Guard Video released by the Philippine coast guard captured a radio broadcast informing the Chinese ship that it was not authorized to operate in those waters and ordering it to leave. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025

Adjective

Above all, broadcast hero stories internally; behavior follows narrative. —Jim Stevenson, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

Of course, with a broadcast social network like X, everyone is both a patron and an owner of sorts. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 23 May 2025

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

Phrases Containing broadcast

• broadcast booth
• broadcast journalism
• direct broadcast satellite

Rhymes for broadcast

• aghast
• amassed
• biassed
• bypassed
• downcast
• forecast
• foremast
• harassed
• holdfast
• mainmast
• newscast
• outcast

Kids Definition

broadcast

1 of 4 adjective

broad·​cast ˈbrȯd-ˌkast 

1

: scattered in all directions

2

: made public by means of radio or television or by streaming over the Internet

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 or over the Internet

2

: a single radio or television program